Some evidence suggests that chronic inflammation plays a critical role in the development and progression of coronary artery ectasia. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 is involved in multiple phases of vascular dysfunction, including endothelial dysfunction, atherogenesis, initiation of plaque rupture, and restenosis. The objectives was to study the purpose of ...

Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an important risk factor in skin carcinogenesis. This has been attributed mainly to the UVB waveband because the high-energetic photons are capable of interacting with DNA and inducing DNA damage. Recently, UVA light has also gained increasing interest in relation to DNA alteration. Although UVA ...

BACKGROUND: Recently, melatonin has been associated with cancer both in vitro and in vivo. However, the value of melatonin in the treatment of cancer remains disputable. Hence, we performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of melatonin in solid tumor cancer patients and observed its effect on tumor ...

Yes, Walter, there is a polymorph of sucrose! At 4.80 GPa, (+)-sucrose, common table sugar, transforms into a new polymorph. In its structure the network of intermolecular hydrogen bonds is reformulated, with new types of H bonds being formed, and the molecular conformation changes. This structural variability is characteristic of ...

Two for three: An original combination of two thermoresponsive polymers organized inside a single submicron particle is developed to release drug following a three-step process, which consists of a first spontaneous release at room temperature followed by two possible thermosensitive effects.

A new method for the determination of trace glyphosate (GLYP), non-selective pesticide, by CZE with online ITP pre-treatment of drinking waters on a column-coupling (CC) chip has been developed. CC chip was equipped with two injection channels of 0.9 and 9.9 μL volumes, two separation channels of 9.3 μL total volume and ...

One of the central issues of molecular electronics (ME) is the study of the molecule-metal electrode contacts, and their implications for the conductivity, charge-transport mechanism, and mechanical stability. In fact, stochastic on/off switching (blinking) reported in STM experiments is a major problem of single-molecule devices, and challenges the stability and ...

A novel method is described for the extraction of methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylenedioxyphenylalkylamine designer drugs, such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, N-methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine, and 3,4-(methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine, from human whole blood using molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction as highly selective sample clean-up technique. Whole blood samples were diluted with 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate (pH 8.6) and ...

Butterfly-pollinated flowers offer nectar with higher amino acid concentrations than most flowers pollinated by other animals, and female butterflies of some species prefer to consume amino acid-rich nectar. However, for over 30 years, there has been an ongoing discussion about whether nectar amino acids benefit butterfly fitness. A clear positive effect ...

Parasite avoidance is increasingly considered to be a potential driving factor in animal migrations. In many marine and freshwater benthic fish, migration into a pelagic environment by developing larvae is a common life history trait that could reduce exposure to parasites during a critical window of developmental susceptibility. We tested ...

BACKGROUND: There is a high incidence of congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT). Early diagnosis of these defects may allow the best medical and/or surgical treatment to be implemented as rapidly as possible, preventing or at least slowing down an evolution toward chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Ultrasound ...

Body size affects life history, the ecological niche of an organism and its interactions with other organisms. Resultantly, marked differences in body size between related organisms are often an indication of a species boundary. This is particularly evident in the Gehyra variegata species complex of geckos, which displays differential body ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the gross motor skills of school-aged children after the Fontan procedure and compare the locomotor and object control skills with normative data.Study designThis study followed a cross-sectional design. SETTING: This study was based on hospital outpatient visit, with accelerometry conducted at home.PatientsThis study included 55 patients, including ...

Aim:  To evaluate the prevalence of increased renal resistive index and related factors among patients with Type 2 diabetes with different levels of creatinine clearance and urinary albumin excretion. Methods:  Laboratory analyses, including calculation of 24-h urinary albumin excretion and 24-h creatinine clearance, and renal doppler ultrasonography to measure renal resistive ...

Cognitive flexibility has been measured with inductive reasoning or explicit rule tasks in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Flexible Item Selection Task (FIST) differs from previous cognitive flexibility tasks in ASD research by giving children an abstract, ambiguous rule to switch. The ASD group (N = 22; Mean age = 8.28 years, SD = 1.52) ...

Research on bimanual coordination has shown that the efficiency of programming an action is determined by the way the action is cognitively represented. In tool use, actions can be represented with respect to the spatial goal of the action (e.g., the nail that is to be hit by a hammer) ...

Eight makes a happy Ho(l)me: The versatile octadentate TIAM ligand forms lanthanide complexes (Ln=Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho) with high quantum yields in water. This ligand is an efficient sensitizer, and also shields the metal center from solvent quenching, as shown by an X-ray diffraction study of the Ho complex.

Genetic instability, which includes both numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities, is a hallmark of cancer. Whereas the structural chromosome rearrangements have received substantial attention, the role of whole-chromosome aneuploidy in cancer is much less well-understood. Here we review recent progress in understanding the roles of whole-chromosome aneuploidy in cancer, including ...

Aim:  Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is known to reduce fasting blood glucose in individuals with Type 2 diabetes. However, the mechanisms of this effect are not clear. The aim of this study was to determine whether peripheral insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp is increased in patients presenting for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. ...

In this paper, a polypropylene frit with porous network structure and high area-to-thickness ratio (4.8 mm diameter, 1.6 mm thickness, 20 μm pore size) was utilized as a mould of monolith. Poly(methacrylic acid-ethlyene glycol dimethacrylate) (MAA-EGDMA) monolith was in situ synthesized in the micro-channel of frit by photopolymerization. A monolith frit-based solid-phase microextraction ...

A low plasma level of HDL cholesterol is an atherosclerotic risk factor; however, emerging evidence suggests that low HDL levels might also contribute to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through direct effects on plasma glucose. In the past decade, animal and clinical studies have uncovered a previously ...

Gonadal steroids, including androgens and oestrogens, play a critical part in bone metabolism, and conditions associated with a deficiency of gonadal steroids can reduce BMD in adults and impair bone accrual in adolescents. In addition, other associated hormone alterations, for example, insulin-like growth factor 1 deficiency or high cortisol levels, ...

Almost 30 years ago, neuropeptide Y (NPY) was discovered as a sympathetic co-transmitter and one of the most evolutionarily conserved peptides abundantly present all over the body. Soon afterward, NPY's multiple receptors were characterized and cloned, and the peptide's role in stress was first documented. NPY has proven to be pivotal ...

A number of innovative delivery systems for acute antipsychotic pharmacotherapy have been developed over the years which include oral suspensions, rapidly dissolving wafers and acute intramuscular preparations. Currently, the availability of first generation antipsychotic (FGA) formulations is limited to two high potency agents: haloperidol and fluphenazine. At Yale New-Haven Psychiatric ...

INTRODUCTION: Duplicate origin of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is rare and has been misdiagnosed or confused as fenestration of the proximal M1 segment of the MCA. The condition is not a true fenestration and occurs when two MCA branches arise separately from the terminal segment of the internal carotid ...

BACKGROUND: Accurate knowledge of the scapular anatomy is fundamental for the preoperative evaluation but some bony landmarks are difficult to identify. Statistical approaches based on subject-specific parametric models could be used to overcome this difficulty. The aim of this study was to propose a quantitative parametric model of the scapula ...

BACKGROUND: Regional anesthesia plays a key role in elective as well as emergency orthopedic and other surgeries in children. However, peripheral nerve blocks are quite challenging in children due to lack of precise anatomical knowledge of the course and distribution of these nerves. The purpose of this study was to ...

In the black: a chromic change of Pd-doped V(2) O(5) nanowires from orange to black occurred after exposure to molecular hydrogen at room temperature. The change in color is irreversible and attributed to a hydrogen spillover effect.

A major goal of evolutionary biology is to explain morphological diversity among species. Many studies suggest that much morphological variation is explained by adaptation to different microhabitats. Here, we test whether morphology and microhabitat use are related in plethodontid salamanders, which contain the majority of salamander species, and have radiated ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the findings of hepatic metastases from malignant pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma on non-contrast-enhanced and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (US) and compare them with other imaging modalities. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: US was performed on eight patients with 65 hepatic metastases. Non-contrast computed tomography (CT), meta-iodo-benzyl-guanidine scintigraphy ((123)I-MIBG), and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) ...

A fundamental step in pathophysiology of prion diseases is the conversion of the host encoded prion protein (PrP(C)) into a misfolded isoform (PrP(Sc)) that accumulates mainly in neuronal but also non-neuronal tissues. Prion diseases are transmissible within and between species. In a subset of prion diseases, peripheral prion uptake and ...

AIM: The aim of this study was to translate the VEINES-QOL/Sym questionnaire into Turkish, which is used mainly in Western European countries, and to study its reliability and validity. METHODS: Standard "forward-backward" translation method was used to translate the questionnaire. The internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's α, test-retest reliability ...

Aims:  To describe patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with basal insulin, with or without oral antidiabetics in UK primary care, and evaluate insulin treatment patterns and factors explaining changes in therapy. Methods:  Retrospective analysis of patients with Type 2 diabetes within The Health Improvement Network UK primary care ...

Amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits are detectable in the brain in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET) and [C-11]-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B ([C-11]PiB); however, the sensitivity of this technique is not well understood. In this study, we examined Aβ pathology in an individual who had clinical diagnoses of probable dementia with Lewy ...

AIM: This study investigated patients who sustained peripheral arterial trauma, presented with clinical signs of shock, and underwent urgent endovascular repair (endo-R). METHODS: Eighteen patients (11 men) aged 62.8±17.5 y (range: 24-78 years) with severe peripheral arterial injuries or spontaneous ruptures who presented with clinical signs of shock were treated ...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of extracellular proteases involved in the pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether MMPs induce direct myelin degradation, leukocyte infiltration, disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and/or extracellular matrix remodeling in the pathogenesis ...

AIM:This study reports results of synchronous carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in further support of the hypothesis that carotid and coronary artery revascularization can be safely performed in most patients. METHODS: The series includes 74 consecutive patients underwent synchronous CEA and off-pump CABG (group A) ...

In this study, we investigated the temporal post-mortem limits, within which there will be guarantees of obtaining living cells from several tissues of sheep and cattle and the effect of vitrification on the ability of cells from tissue stored at different times. Muscle tissue and auricular cartilage were stored at ...

PURPOSE: To describe a case of retrobulbar optic neuritis that presented within 3 weeks of adalimumab treatment initiation. METHODS: This index case was evaluated with visual field testing, brain magnetic resonance imaging, lumbar puncture, and laboratory evaluation, and treated with intravenous methylprednisolone followed by a steroid taper. RESULTS: Our patient made ...

This study investigated differences in usage of inpatient and outpatient mental health services over a 2-year period following the index hospitalization between 50 decertified and 48 certified subjects with bipolar manic or mixed episode from an inpatient mental health treatment center. The decertified group had higher number of rehospitalization over ...

Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) provide the unique opportunity to study the very early development of the human heart. Aim of this study was to investigate the role of calcium and beta-adrenergic stimulation on the contractile properties of early hESC-CMs. Beating clusters containing hESC-CMs were co-cultured in vitro with ...

SUMMARYHepatitis E virus (HEV) is now considered an endemic pathogen in industrialized countries, leading to acute and sometimes chronic hepatitis, mostly in vulnerable people. The endemic sources are unclear. A survey in The Netherlands in 2006-2007 showed a 1·9% seroprevalence of HEV antibodies measured by ELISA and confirmed by immunoblot ...

Aims:  The aim of this pilot study was to generate an initial estimate of the prevalence and correlates of diabetic retinopathy in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of youth with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods:  A pilot study was conducted among 222 individuals with Type 1 diabetes (79% non-Hispanic ...

A simple and economic method for the analysis of phthalate esters, dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, di-iso-butyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate in cow milk samples by means of gas chromatography-flame ionization detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been developed. In this work, NaCl and ACN were added to 5 mL ...

Aims:  Adding aldosterone receptor blockade to standard renoprotective treatment may provide additional renoprotection in patients with overt nephropathy. We expected an impact of spironolactone in early diabetic nephropathy, and for this hypothesis we studied the effect on markers of glomerular and tubular damage in patients with Type 1 diabetes and ...

Propylene from methane: The transformation of methane to propylene has been realized in a two-step route via CH(3) Cl or CH(3) Br. CeO(2) serves as an efficient and stable catalyst for the oxidative chlorination and bromination of methane to CH(3) Cl and CH(3) Br. In the second step, a modified ...

This study examined the socio-demographic and selected behavioral characteristics associated with self-perceived and epidemiologic notions of risk for acquiring STIs/HIV infection using data from a cross-sectional survey involving 346 consenting female military personnel from two cantonments in Southwestern Nigeria. Findings revealed significant discordance in participants' risk status based on the ...

Objective: To determine the role of water fleas in accumulating avian influenza viruses (AIV) from the surrounding water and to estimate their role as a vector of AIV. Methods: Water fleas were exposed to H4N6 and H5N1 AIV-contaminated water in a closed system. The potential of water fleas to take ...

OBJECTIVE: To identify sociodemographic and environmental correlates of sweetened beverages (regular soft drinks, fruit juice) among children of pre-school age. DESIGN: Children's dietary intake, food behaviours and screen time were measured by parental report. A Geographic Informational System was used to assess the number of grocery stores and fast-food restaurants ...

C-ing cellulose in a new light: The self-assembly of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) with tetraalkoxysilane produces a chiral nematic NCC-silica composite material, which upon carbonization, and then etching of the silica with dilute base solution produces a novel high surface area chiral nematic mesoporous carbon.