The effect of placebo observed in schizophrenia clinical trials represents a growing problem that interferes with signal detection for treatments, increases costs of development, discourages investment in schizophrenia research and delays the introduction of new treatments. This paper seeks to clarify key issues related to this problem and identify potential ...

Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan that causes trichomonosis, the most prevalent non-viral STD worldwide. The pathogen has been associated with serious health consequences including predisposition to cervical cancer and adverse pregnancy outcomes and infertility. It also acts as a co-factor in HIV transmission and acquisition. The 5-nitroimidazole drugs are ...

Electric and magnetic fields in a one-dimensional layered system that alternates air and a metamaterial are investigated. Special attention is devoted to frequencies of electric and magnetic bulk plasmons. It is shown that plasmon polaritons nearby such frequencies display field profiles concentrated in the metamaterial, where the field component parallel ...

The kinetic rate equation for the photosensitized cleavage reaction of surface-bound photolabile chromophores with free diffusion of sensitizer molecules from the bulk of a solution to the surface is derived by determining the stationary solution of a diffusion equation with suitable boundary conditions. The relation between the phenomenological rate constant ...

To the Editor: In their study of oral acyclovir in neonates after herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, Kimberlin et al. (Oct. 6 issue)(1) describe an initial dose of parenteral acyclovir (300 mg per square meter of body-surface area) that is lower than that used in current clinical practice (1500 mg ...

The high frequency of recurrence and poor survival rate of bladder cancer demand exploration of novel strategies. Gene therapy via adenovirus has shown promising potential for the treatment of tumors. We constructed a bladder cancer-specific adenovirus carrying E1A-androgen receptor (AR) under the control of UPII promoter and prostate stem cell ...

Glutamate toxicity from hypoxia-ischaemia during the perinatal period causes white matter injury that can result in long-term motor and intellectual disability. Blocking ionotropic glutamate receptors (GluRs) has been shown to inhibit oligodendrocyte injury in vitro, but GluR antagonists have not yet proven helpful in clinical studies. The opposite approach of ...

PURPOSE: To identify and evaluate the evidence for the pivot shift test as an outcome measure following ACL reconstruction. Achieving rotatory control of the knee post anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has been shown to increase patient satisfaction, decrease functional instability and potentially delay the development of osteoarthritis. The pivot ...

No attempts have been made to apply a mathematical model to the learning curve in honey bees exposed to pesticides. We applied a standard transfer function in the form Y = B3*exp(- B2 * (X - 1)) + B4 * (1 - exp(- B2 * (X - 1))), where X is the trial number; Y is proportion of correct responses, B2 is the learning rate, B3 is readiness ...

We present STM data that show that it is possible to use a metal induced 2 × 7 reconstruction of Si(001) to narrow the width distribution of Dy silicide nanowires. This behavior is distinct from the effect of the 7 × 7 reconstruction on the Si(111) surface, where the 7 × 7 serves as a static ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hyaluronic acid (HA) on the expression of osteopontin (OPN) and CD44 mRNA of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) in the patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. FLS were obtained from the knees of 10 patients with OA. Real-time quantitative polymerase ...

Background. Patient self-management, besides expert care, is necessary to improve health outcomes among persons with asthma. Our objective was to describe the characteristics of persons with asthma likely to receive asthma self-management education. Methods. The 2006 and 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Child and Adult Asthma Call-back Survey ...

A miniscule amount of f-SWNTs remarkably improved (∼17-fold) the gelation efficiency of amphiphilic molecules by triggering the formation of interconnecting self-assembled fibrillar networks (SAFIN) in supramolecular gelation.

Although many studies on the taxonomy of digenean trematodes of marine fishes have been completed in the Eastern Indo-Pacific (EIP) marine ecoregion, only a few have considered metacercarial stages. Here, the results are presented of a taxonomic survey of the digenean metacercariae of fishes from Palmyra Atoll, a remote and ...

PURPOSE: Restless legs syndrome (RLS), a debilitating sleep disorder that is frequently reported by CKD patients on dialysis, may be more common in whites than in non-whites. Iron deficiency is associated with RLS, and serum ferritin is higher among African Americans compared to Caucasians in the general population. No prior ...

Treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancer may cause dysphagia. Purpose is to examine whether cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) yields additional information compared to standard examination in the evaluation of posttreatment dysphagia and mobility of oral and oropharyngeal structures. Thirty-four cine MRIs were made in 23 patients with advanced oral ...

It is well known that attenuated insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) has a positive effect on longevity in several animal species, including mice. Here, we demonstrate that a population of murine pluripotent very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) that reside in bone marrow (BM) is protected from premature depletion during ...

Canavan disease (OMIM 271900) is an autosomal recessive lethal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by spongy degeneration of the brain. A highly consanguineous Pakistani family with Canavan disease was enrolled on the basis of diagnosis. All the affected individuals have mental retardation, megalocephaly and degradation of motor skills, poor head control, partial ...

The growth of ultrathin two-dimensional manganese oxide nanostripes on vicinal Pd(1 1 N) surfaces leads to particular stable configurations for certain combinations of oxide stripe and substrate terrace widths. Scanning tunneling microscopy and high-resolution low-energy electron diffraction measurements reveal highly ordered nanostructured surfaces with excellent local and long-range order. Density ...

INTRODUCTION: Complications of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) include acute oculomotor nerve palsy secondary to ischemic stroke and pituitary apoplexy. These can present with impairment of extraocular muscle function as well as involvement or sparing of the pupil. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 58-year-old male admitted ...

Our objective was to compare patients with concurrent and sequentially presented systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-related protein-losing enteropathy (PLE). Patients with history of SLE admitted for PLE were selected and their clinical, laboratory, endoscopic and imaging characteristics, treatment and outcome were analyzed. From 2001 to 2010, 21 and 27 patients had ...

The zinc enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) is inhibited by several classes of zinc-binders (sulfonamides, sulfamates, and sulfamides) as well as by compounds which do not interact with the metal ion (phenols, polyamines and coumarins). Here we report a new class of potent CA inhibitors which bind the zinc ...

Two hundred winters ago, in January 1812, the New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery was born. In the centuries since then, the Journal has chronicled the evolution of medicine and bioscience. Immunization strategies have eradicated smallpox and have protected millions from other formerly fatal infectious diseases. Thousands of new ...

The present study performs a morpho-histological description of the central nervous system of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks in order to analyze if there are differences in this tissue among larvae, nymphs, and adults. The results showed that the central nervous system in all the life stages of R. sanguineus consists of ...

This article compares the use of single- and multiple-item pools with respect to test security against item sharing among some examinees in computerized testing. A simulation study was conducted to make a comparison among different pool designs using the item selection method of maximum item information with the Sympson-Hetter exposure ...

We aimed to estimate temporal trends in the proportion of HIV diagnoses which could be characterized as recent infections in Australia for men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), and heterosexual men and women using modified back-projection methodology based on data sources from HIV/AIDS Surveillance ...

Understanding the patterns of genetic variation of traits subject to sexual selection is fundamental for explaining its evolutionary dynamics and potential for sexual coevolution. The signa of female Lepidoptera are sclerotized structures located on the inner surface of the genital receptacle that receives the spermatophore during copulation (the corpus bursae), ...

SUMMARYAlmost a decade has passed since the first report of RNA interference (RNAi) in a parasitic helminth. Whilst much progress has been made with RNAi informing gene function studies in disparate nematode and flatworm parasites, substantial and seemingly prohibitive difficulties have been encountered in some species, hindering progress. An appraisal ...

The genetic variation and evolution of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) from aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants in northern Italy was studied by sequence analysis of the movement protein gene and comparison with equivalent sequences of isolates from other countries. Comparison of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitutions suggested that 30% of amino ...

Adipocyte differentiation (AD) and AD-specific gene expression was studied in 3T3-L1 cells in response to oleic acid (OA) or linoleic acid (LA) alone and in combination with insulin. This system facilitated the study of key regulators of adipogenesis PPARγ and C/EBPα and other AD-specific genes, in the absence of dexamethasone ...

ABSTRACTThe present study investigates whether four- and six-year-old children use pragmatic competence as a criterion for learning from someone else. Specifically, we ask whether children use others' adherence to Gricean maxims to determine whether they will offer valid labels for novel objects. Six-year-olds recognized adherence to the maxims of quality ...

To the Editor: In their study of oral acyclovir in neonates after herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, Kimberlin et al. (Oct. 6 issue)(1) describe an initial dose of parenteral acyclovir (300 mg per square meter of body-surface area) that is lower than that used in current clinical practice (1500 mg ...

A recent genome-wide association study revealed a variant (rs2431697) in an intergenic region, between the pituitary tumor-transforming 1 (PTTG1) and microRNA (miR-146a) genes, associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility. Here, we analyzed with a case-control design this variant and other candidate polymorphisms in this region together with expression analysis ...

Metastatic melanoma has historically been considered as one of the most therapeutically challenging malignancies. However, for the first time after decades of basic research and clinical investigation, new drugs have produced major clinical responses. The discovery of BRAF mutations in melanoma created the first opportunity to develop oncogene-directed therapy in ...

The Hwang affair, a dramatic and far reaching instance of scientific fraud, shocked the world. This collective national failure prompted various organizations in Korea, including universities, regulatory agencies, and research associations, to engage in self-criticism and research ethics reforms. This paper aims, first, to document and review research misconduct perpetrated ...

Industrialization has significantly altered atmospheric chemistry by increasing concentrations of chemicals such as nitrogen oxides (NO( x )) and volatile organic carbon, which react in the presence of sunlight to produce tropospheric ozone (O(3)). Ozone is a powerful oxidant that causes both visual and physiological damage to plants, impairing the ...

It has been demonstrated that experiences taking place early in life have a profound influence on brain development, interacting with the genetic background and determining differences in the vulnerability to the onset of bipolar disorder when the individual is exposed to a second adverse event later in life. Here, we ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between drinking patterns, psychological distress and quality of life (QoL) in a general population-based sample in Norway. METHODS: A random sample of 4,000 Norwegian citizens, aged 18 to 79, was drawn from the National Register held by Statistics Norway. ...

Stress is a relatively new and emerging risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Severe stress can alter brain characteristics such as neuronal plasticity, due to changes in the metabolism of cytoskeletal proteins. In this study, male Wistar rats were exposed to restraint stress (RS) for 5 h daily for different time ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to characterize rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in over 22,000 eyes after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for the correction of myopia ≤ -10.00 diopters (D), its characteristics, and its frequency at 10 years of follow-up. METHODS: This is a retrospective single-center interventional non-comparative case ...

Peptides have unique properties that make them useful drug candidates for diverse indications, including allergy, infectious disease and cancer. Some peptides are intrinsically bioactive, while others can be used to induce precise immune responses by defining a minimal immunogenic region. The limitations of peptides, such as metabolic instability, short half-life ...

Autonomic failure is one of the criteria according to the second consensus statement for the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA). Gastrointestinal symptoms are frequent complaints in patients with MSA and may be associated with reduced gastrointestinal motility due to autonomic nervous system dysfunction. However, there are few reports on ...

To estimate the incidence of acute leukemia (AL) in El Bierzo (BZ) and to carry out a cross-association analysis in order to suggest some etiological clues. We registered all new AL cases diagnosed 2000-2005. Annual standardized incidence rate (SIR) was calculated by the direct method. A cross-association analysis was performed ...

To the Editor: The week of publication of the Case Record regarding a child with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) who had undergone left nephrectomy for multifocal renal-cell carcinoma (Aug. 25 issue)(1) was also the first week of our curriculum, when medical students in the class of 2015 learned from patient ...

BACKGROUND: The intraperitoneal application of surgical mesh remains a controversial issue because of possible complications, especially adhesion and fistula formation. This study aimed to assess the potential of a knitted polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) mesh for intraabdominal implantation. METHODS: Twenty-eight 5 × 5 cm samples of knitted macroporous PTFE mesh and light-weight polypropylene mesh (LW-PP) ...

UV-visible diffuse reflectance (DR) spectra of the fibrous proteins wool and feather keratin, silk fibroin and bovine skin collagen are presented. Natural wool contains much higher levels of visible chromophores across the whole visible range (700-400 nm) than the other proteins and only those above 450 nm are effectively removed by bleaching. ...

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infects wild and domestic birds but causes contagious and lethal disease in domestic poultry. ND is currently endemic in Pakistan, but no complete genome sequence of a Pakistani NDV isolate has been reported. An NDV strain isolated from a commercial poultry farm was completely sequenced. Phylogenetic ...

The pathophysiological mechanism(s) underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) still remain unclear, and no disease-modifying or prophylactic therapies are currently available. Unraveling the fundamental neuropathogenesis of AD is an important challenge. Several studies on AD have suggested lesions in a number of CNS areas including the basal forebrain, hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, amygdale/insula, ...

The Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana 1852) is widely distributed throughout the Southern Ocean, where it provides a key link between primary producers and upper trophic levels and supports a major commercial fishery. Despite its ecological and commercial importance, genetic population structure of the Antarctic krill remains poorly described. In ...

The vertical distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was measured in a dated sediment core from the northwestern Arabian Gulf to reconstruct their depositional history. The downcore profile showed an increase in concentrations from depth to a subsurface maximum of approximately 1,500 pg g(-1) in approximately 1991, followed by an exponential decrease to ...