Several large epidemiologic studies have shown an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and osteoporosis. Recent studies have further implied an emphysema-specific association with low bone mineral density independent of obstruction severity. This review will outline the studies demonstrating an independent association between radiographic emphysema and decreased bone mineral ...

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) blocks the apoptosis by binding to and inhibiting caspases-3, 7, and 9. XIAP is negatively regulated by the mitochondrial serine protease, HtrA2/Omi. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of XIAP and the relationship between XIAP and HtrA2/Omi in patients with ...

Background: The natural elastomeric protein, insect resilin, is the most efficient elastic material known, used to store energy for jumping and flight in a variety of insects. Here, an antibody to recombinant Drosophila melanogaster pro-resilin is used to examine resilin expression in Drosophila and a wider range of insects. Results: ...

Nematostella 3 heads: Induction of canonical Wnt signaling causes regenerating Nematostella to form ectopic oral poles at sites of injury. From Trevino et al., Developmental Dynamics 240:2673-2679, 2011.

The segmentation clock is an oscillating genetic network thought to govern the rhythmic and sequential subdivision of the elongating body axis of the vertebrate embryo into somites: the precursors of the segmented vertebral column. Understanding how the rhythmic signal arises, how it achieves precision and how it patterns the embryo ...

The fusion of myoblasts into multinucleate syncytia plays a fundamental role in muscle function, as it supports the formation of extended sarcomeric arrays, or myofibrils, within a large volume of cytoplasm. Principles learned from the study of myoblast fusion not only enhance our understanding of myogenesis, but also contribute to ...

The transcription factor p63 is important in the development of the skin as p63-null mice exhibit striking defects in embryonic epidermal morphogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie this phenotype is complicated by the existence of multiple p63 isoforms, including TAp63 and ΔNp63. To investigate the role of ΔNp63 in epidermal ...

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters protect embryos and stem cells from mutagens and pump morphogens that control cell fate and migration. In this study, we measured dynamics of ABC transporter activity during formation of sea urchin embryonic cells necessary for the production of gametes, termed the small micromeres. Unexpectedly, we found ...

The Homeobox (Hox) and Paired box (Pax) gene families are key determinants of animal body plans and organ structure. In particular, they function within regulatory networks that control organogenesis. How these conserved genes elicit differences in organ form and function in response to evolutionary pressures is incompletely understood. We molecularly ...

Development is often coordinated by biologically active mobile compounds that move between cells or organs. Arabidopsis mutants with defects in the BYPASS1 (BPS1) gene overproduce an active mobile compound that moves from the root to the shoot and inhibits growth. Here, we describe two related Arabidopsis genes, BPS2 and BPS3. ...

In sea urchins, the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin in micromeres and macromeres at 4th and 5th cleavage activates the developmental gene regulatory circuits that specify all of the vegetal tissues (i.e. skeletogenic mesoderm, endoderm and non-skeletogenic mesoderm). Here, through the analysis of maternal Frizzled receptors as potential contributors to these ...

OBJECTIVE To assess trends in rates of hospitalization for nontraumatic lower-extremity amputation (NLEA) in U.S. diabetic and nondiabetic populations and disparities in NLEA rates within the diabetic population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We calculated NLEA hospitalization rates, by diabetes status, among persons aged ≥40 years on the basis of National ...

OBJECTIVE Multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) susceptibility have been identified in predominantly European-derived populations. These SNPs have not been extensively investigated for individual and cumulative effects on T2D risk in African Americans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Seventeen index T2D risk variants were genotyped in ...

OBJECTIVE In clinical trials, diet, exercise, and weight counseling led to short-term improvements in blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels in patients with diabetes. However, little is known about the long-term effects of lifestyle counseling on patients with diabetes in routine clinical settings. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This retrospective ...

OBJECTIVE Metformin is the first-line oral medication recommended for glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. We reviewed the literature to quantify the effect of metformin treatment on glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) levels in all types of diabetes and examine the impact of differing doses on glycemic control. RESEARCH DESIGN ...

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, the latter possibly caused by a defect in insulin signaling in β-cells. We hypothesized that insulin's effect to potentiate glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) would be diminished in insulin-resistant persons. To evaluate the effect of insulin to modulate ...

To characterize the defects in β-cell function in subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and compare the results to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects, β-cell glucose sensitivity and rate sensitivity during the oral glucose tolerance test were measured with the model by Mari in 172 ...

Insulin resistance triggers the developments of diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis. Tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) is involved in insulin resistance. We aimed to investigate whether TRIB3 is implicated in diabetic atherosclerosis. Sixty 3-week-old apolipoprotein E (ApoE(-/-))/LDR receptor (LDLR(-/-)) mice were randomly divided into chow and diabetes groups. Diabetes was induced by ...

Diagnostic errors are common and are a leading cause of patient dissatisfaction and malpractice suits. Because of its traditional heavy reliance on memory and lack of standardization, the diagnostic process is particularly error prone. A study by Zwaan and colleagues on diagnostic failures in treating dyspneic patients makes several important ...

Key Indicators in Academic Medicine (KIAMs), a new feature in Academic Medicine, are intended to substantially inform teaching hospitals and medical schools on those metrics that may best gauge their health, including the performance of units and programs within these organizations. Ultimately, KIAMs may promote effective growth and development in ...

Rivaroxaban (Xarelto®), an oral oxazolidinone-based anticoagulant, is a potent, selective, direct inhibitor of factor Xa that is used in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients after total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. In large, clinical trials, oral rivaroxaban 10 mg once daily was more ...

ABSTRACT: Minority vote to statement A5 of the Fourth Ovarian Cancer Consensus Conference, Vancouver 2010, on behalf of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynaekologische Onkologie (AGO) Study Group Germany plus North-Eastern Society of Gyneco-Oncology and the AGO Austria.

Tumor-associated neoangiogenesis (TAN) is an early event in ovarian tumor development. Interleukin 16 (IL-16) is a proangiogenic cytokine that stimulates production of neoangiogenic factors. The goal of this study was to determine the association of IL-16 with tumor development and ovarian TAN in laying hens, an animal model of spontaneous ...

Expression of ARID1A (the adenine, thymine-rich interactive domain 1A), a putative tumor suppressor, has recently been shown to be lost in several tumor types. This study investigated whether ARID1A expression was also lost in cervical squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas/adenosquamous carcinomas. A total of 91 patients with cervical carcinoma were ...

The objective of the study was to determine how many women in an ovarian cancer (OC) study cohort had a family history (FH) recorded in their case notes and whether appropriate action was taken on the basis of that FH. This was a review of patient case-note data of women ...

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) in Korean women with endometrial cancer. Among 227 patients with endometrial cancer in the study population, 20 patients (8.8%) had HNPCC. The patients were divided into 2 groups based ...

Patients with stage IB2 to IIA cervical cancer have a poor survival regardless of what primary treatment is performed. We conducted a study to demonstrate whether neoadjuvant treatment could offer survival benefits to those patients. Between January 2006 and December 2009, 123 patients with stage IB2 to IIA cervical cancer ...

To analyze temporal trends of hospital admissions due to molar pregnancies in Italian and non-Italian women in Lombardy during the 1996-2008 period. A standard form is used to register all discharges from public or private hospitals in Lombardy. Hydatidiform mole (HM) cases were identified when searching the database for code ...

The objective of the study was to determine temporal fat deposition and fatty acid profiles in beef cows fed hay- or barley silage-based diets, with or without flaxseed. Crossbred cull beef cows (n = 64, >30 mo of age, 620 ± 5 kg) were removed from grassland pastures, randomly assigned ...

The effects of a concentrate diet on growth, carcass fat, and fatty acid (FA) composition of muscle (supraspinatus), perirenal, and intermuscular adipose tissues of Creole goats (n = 32) were evaluated. Goats were fed a tropical green forage Digitaria decumbens ad libitum with no concentrate (G0) or 1 of 3 ...

As part of a 2-yr study documenting the physiologic impact of grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue on growing cattle, 2 experiments were conducted to characterize and evaluate effects of grazing 2 levels of toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue pastures on vascular contractility and serotonin receptors. Experiment 1 examined vasoconstrictive activities of 5-hydroxytryptamine ...

Pseudomonas stutzeri SDM-LAC is an efficient lactate utilizer with various applications in biocatalysis. Here we present a 4.2-Mb assembly of its genome. The annotated four adjacent genes form a lactate utilization operon, which could provide further insights into the molecular mechanism of lactate utilization.

Burkholderia species are ubiquitous in soil environments. Many Burkholderia species isolated from various environments have the potential to biodegrade man-made chemicals. Burkholderia sp. strain YI23 was isolated from a golf course soil and identified as a fenitrothion-degrading bacterium. In this study, we report the complete genome sequence of Burkholderia sp. ...

Enterobacter cloacae subsp. dissolvens SDM has an extraordinary characteristic of biomass utilization for 2,3-butanediol production. Here we present a 4.9-Mb assembly of its genome. The key genes for regulation and metabolism of 2,3-butanediol production were annotated, which could provide further insights into the molecular mechanism of high-yield production of 2,3-butanediol.

Here we report the draft genome of Marinobacter manganoxydans MnI7-9, isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent in the Indian Ocean and capable of oxidizing manganese even when there is a very high concentration of Mn(2+). The strain also displayed high resistance and adsorption ability toward many metal(loid)s.

Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5M is a commercially available probiotic that is widely used in swine, poultry, aquaculture feeds, and human dietary supplements. We prepared a genome sequence for this strain consisting of 2 scaffolds totaling 1,992,928 bases including gaps for a total of 3,346 bases and a G+C content of 42%.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 is a commercially available probiotic that is widely used in human dietary supplements and pharmaceutical products. We prepared a draft genome sequence consisting of 10 contigs totaling 2,900,620 bases and a G+C content of 46.7% for this strain.

Microbial transformations of arsenic influence its mobility and toxicity. We report the draft genome sequence of the arsenite-oxidizing strain Agrobacterium tumefaciens 5A isolated from an As-contaminated soil in the Madison River Valley, MT. A large number of metal (or metalloid) resistance genes, especially contributing to arsenite oxidation, were identified.

Vibrio sp. strain DS40M4 is a marine bacterium that was isolated from open ocean water. In this work, using genomic taxonomy, we were able to classify this bacterium as V. campbellii. Our genomic analysis revealed that V. campbellii DS40M4 harbors genes related to iron transport, virulence, and environmental fitness, such ...

We present the genome sequence of "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum" strain Birmingham 1, a low-pathogenicity feline hemoplasma strain.

Novosphingobium pentaromativorans US6-1 showed a good ability to degrade high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We report the draft genome sequence of strain US6-1, which contains a main chromosome (5,096,413 bp, G+C content of 63.1%) and two plasmids (188,476 and 60,085 bp). The majority of the aromatic-hydrocarbon-degrading genes are encoded in the ...

Yu et al. (Polar Biol. 32:1539-1547, 2009) isolated 199 Pseudoalteromonas strains from Arctic sea ice. We sequenced the genomes of six of these strains, which are affiliated to different Pseudoalteromonas species based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, facilitating the study of physiology and adaptation of Arctic sea ice Pseudoalteromonas strains.

Brucella suis is the causative agent of swine brucellosis and is known to be able to infect several different hosts, including cattle, dogs, and horses, without causing disease symptoms. Here we report the complete genome sequence of Brucella suis VBI22, which was isolated from raw milk from an infected cow.

: Methadone disposition and pharmacodynamics are highly susceptible to interactions with antiretroviral drugs. Methadone clearance and drug interactions have been attributed to cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4), but actual mechanisms are unknown. Drug interactions can be clinically and mechanistically informative. This investigation assessed effects of the protease inhibitor indinavir on methadone pharmacokinetics ...

: Kinins (e.g., bradykinin) acting through the constitutively expressed B2 and the injury-induced B1 receptors are involved in pain and hyperalgesia, as previously shown by use of receptor-selective antagonists and single-receptor knockout models. Because the overall contribution of kinins to painful processes remains unclear, the aim of this study was ...

Background/aim:  Specialist Occupational Therapy Driver Assessors and driver licensing authorities require on-road assessment procedures that are both valid and reliable. Assessment validity may be influenced by both test route characteristics and driver characteristics. To address these issues, this study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of test routes used by Occupational ...

Development of the novel topoisomerase II inhibitor, amonafide, began almost 40 years ago. The drug was selected for further investigation owing to evidence of marked antineoplastic efficacy in preclinical models of cancer. When its usefulness in the treatment of various solid malignancies proved limited, focus was shifted to establishing its ...

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a common oncologic emergency in patients with hematological malignancies sensitive to cytotoxic treatment that present a high proliferative rate. High proliferative cancer rate, high sensitivity of cytotoxic treatment and renal failure represent risk factors for development of TLS. TLS is also responsible for several electrolytic ...

EuroThrombosis is the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Thrombosis. It gathers clinicians and scientists interested in clinical/experimental thrombosis. The 2011 congress was held in Oporto, Portugal, and presented an appealing program with state-of-the-art sessions on new antiplatelet/anticoagulant agents, diabetes, cellular mechanisms of thrombosis and ...

Evaluation of: Fisher K, Cramer P, Busch R et al. Bendamustine combined with rituximab in patients with relapsed and/or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a multicenter Phase 2 trial of the German Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Study Group. J. Clin. Oncol. 29(26), 3559-3566 (2011). First-line chemoimmunotherapy approaches offer prolonged disease-free survival in ...