Aims: Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a frequent consequence of pulmonary embolism (PE) and a marker of increased risk. However, current qualitative methods assessing RV function are imprecise. We sought to determine whether RV strain analysis would have clinical utility in patients with PE compared with normal controls. Methods and ...

Treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures includes internal fixation and arthroplasty. However, whether arthroplasty or internal fixation is the primary treatment for displaced femoral neck fractures in elderly patients remains a subject for debate. The literature contains conflicting evidence regarding rates of mortality, revision surgery, major postoperative complications, and function ...

The availability of techniques for the sensitive detection of early stage cancer is crucial for patient survival. Our previous research (Langmuir, 2011, 27, 2155-2158) showed that gold nanoparticle layers (GNPL) used in indirect format ELISA amplified the signal, and gave a lower limit of detection (LOD) compared with commercial ELISA ...

Blood parasites of migrating yellow wagtails of two subspecies-Motacilla flava feldegg and Motacilla flava flava-were studied on a sample of 473 birds caught in spring and autumn periods in Bulgaria. We controlled eight "migration waves" (flocks captured in different evenings) of yellow wagtails for four parameters-average body mass, average fat ...

The impact of host factors, such as gender and co-morbidity, on mortality after trauma has been debated. Quantification of risk factors is dependent on methodological considerations including follow-up time, definitions and adjustment of potential confounders. Optimal follow-up time of trauma patients remains to be elucidated. We investigated the impact of ...

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have been promised as a renewable source for regenerative medicine, including providing a replacement therapy in type 1 diabetes. However, they have not yet been differentiated into functional insulin-secreting β cells. This is due partially to the knowledge gap regarding the transcription factors (TFs) required for ...

Retinoblastoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in children. Two step inactivation of RB1 (M1-M2) represents the key event in the pathogenesis of retinoblastoma but additional genetic and epigenetic events (M3-Mn) are required for tumor development. In the present study, we employed Methylation Specific Multiplex Ligation Probe Assay to ...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) predictive factors in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). METHODS: Two hundred thirty-seven patients who visited for low back pain, lower limb pain and/or lower limb numbness and who were diagnosed with LSS were enrolled in this study. The ratio of males to ...

Methylenediphosphonate (MDP)-conjugated adriamycin liposomes (MDP-LADMs) were prepared using mild dynamic dialysis equilibrium method, and their targeted therapeutic effects against osteosarcomas and metastatic SOSP-M lung nodules were evaluated in vivo. The drug loading and encapsulation efficiency of the MDP-LADMs were measured via high-performance liquid chromatography, and their size and morphology of ...

Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) is characterized by short stature, round face, calcifications, obesity, brachydactyly and intellectual disability. AHO without hormone resistance is called pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (PPHP), a rare clinical condition difficult to diagnose with highly variable features. PPHP is caused by paternally inherited loss-of-function mutations in the GNAS. Patients with 2q37 ...

The search for petroleum alternatives has motivated intense research into biological breakdown of lignocellulose to produce liquid fuels such as ethanol. Degradation of lignocellulose for biofuel production is a difficult process which is limited by, among other factors, the recalcitrance of lignocellulose and biological toxicity of the products. Consolidated bioprocessing ...

ABSTRACTBackground: There are discrepant findings regarding which subscales of the Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG) are able to predict cognitive decline. The study aimed to identify the baseline CAMCOG subscales that can discriminate between patients and predict cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).Methods: This was a ...

The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate changes in muscle activity associated with physiological fatigue and decreased swimming velocity (SV) during 200 m of front crawl swimming, and (2) to examine the relationship between the decreased SV and changes in kinematic or electromyogram parameters. Twenty swimmers participated in a ...

The release of enrofloxacin entrapped in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) cryogel at pH 5.5 showed a first-order kinetic, releasing 69.7% of the antibiotic after 4.5 h at 37 °C. In order to slow down the fluoroquinolone release rate, high-methoxylated pectin was added into the cryogel (PVA-P). A film containing 1.0% (w/v) HM pectin and ...

Beneficial medical laser ablation removes material efficiently with minimal collateral damage. A Mark-III free electron laser (FEL), at a wavelength of 6.45 μm has demonstrated minimal damage and high ablation yield in ocular and neural tissues. While this wavelength has shown promise for surgical applications, further advances are limited by the ...

Hematological traits are essential biomedical indicators that are widely used in clinical practice. The elucidation of the etiology that determines an individual's hematological traits would have a substantial impact. Hematological traits are known to be heritable, and it has been suggested that genetic factors contribute significantly to the inter-individual variance ...

First-principles fully relaxed tensile and shear test simulations were performed on [Formula: see text] tilt Mg grain boundary (GB) models, with and without H segregation, to investigate mechanisms of H embrittlement of Mg. Strengthening as a result of covalent-like characteristics of Mg-H bonds prevailed over weakening of Mg-Mg bonds resulting ...

Aging is associated with an increased susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders which has been linked to chronic inflammation. This process generates oxygen-reactive species, ultimately responsible for a process known as oxidative stress, leading to changes in nitric oxide (NO), and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cyclic GMP) signaling pathway. In previous studies, we ...

Aims: Reoperation for bioprosthetic heart valve failure is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-risk patients. Transcatheter valve-in-valve (VIV) implantation may offer a less invasive alternative. The aim of this study was to report our initial experience with transcatheter VIV implantation to treat degenerated tissue valves. Methods and ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) artifacts secondary to metallic implants and foreign bodies are well described. Herein, we provide quantitative data from veterinary implants including total hip arthroplasty implants, cranial cruciate repair implants, surgical screws, a skin staple, ligation clips, an identification microchip, ameroid constrictor, and potential foreign bodies including air ...

Alendronate is a widely used bisphosphonate in the treatment of osteoporosis. Although it has been proven to be a very useful drug, it has some side effects as well. In this paper, we describe a case of nephrotic syndrome due to alendronate administration. A 36-year-old man was admitted to the ...

Scand J Caring Sci; 2012 Identification and documentation of persons being in palliative phase regardless of age, diagnosis and places of care, and their use of a sitting service at the end of life Background:  Older persons and persons with diseases other than cancer are often discriminated against when applying ...

  Milia-like idiopathic calcinosis cutis (MICC) is a rare dermopathy, usually occurring in children with Down syndrome. We report a case of an 8-year-old girl with Down syndrome who presented with histologically verified MICC, briefly review the literature on MICC, discuss the differential diagnosis, and describe the use of dermoscopy ...

During skotomorphogenesis in angiosperms, NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) forms an aggregate of photolabile NADPH-POR-protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) ternary complexes localized to the prolamellar bodies within etioplasts. During photomorphogenesis, POR catalyzes the light-dependent reduction of Pchlide a to chlorophyllide (Chlide) a, which is subsequently converted to chlorophyll (Chl). In Arabidopsis there are three structurally ...

Adding supplements to hen feed can increase egg nutritional value. Astaxanthin, tocotrienols, and tocopherols are potent antioxidants that provide health benefits to humans. We hypothesized that the addition of these nutrients to hen feed would result in an increased nutrient content in egg yolk with minimum changes in functional properties. ...

The discovery of the role of a teleost-specific aquaporin (Aqp1ab) during the process of oocyte hydration in marine fish producing pelagic (floating) eggs, recently confirmed by molecular approaches, has revealed that this mechanism is more sophisticated than initially thought. Recent phylogenetic and genomic studies suggest that Aqp1ab likely evolved by ...

This study examined the influence of time gain on the visual-motor control of isometric force. Time gain denotes the spatial length on the computer screen representing the unit of elapsed time of the force output, through which the time properties of the visually perceived force output can be compressed or ...

The crystal structure, the electron configurations of V ions and the spin dynamics for the Li(9)V(3)P(8-δ)O(29-δ') insertion electrode system that exhibits a multiple-electron reaction are explored through measurements of x-ray four-circle diffraction, magnetization and nuclear magnetic resonance. The structure for the stoichiometric composition with δ = δ' = 0 is refined precisely and the ...

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy frequently resulted in acquired resistance of cancer cells. The underlying mechanism of such resistance is not fully understood especially the involvement of autophagy and autophagic cell death. This study thus investigated whether an alteration in autophagy could be responsible for cisplatin resistance in the long-term exposure lung carcinoma ...

The influence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), in the form of Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA), on uranium (U) toxicity to the unicellular eukaryote, Euglena gracilis (Z strain), was investigated at pH 6. In a background medium without SRFA, exposure of E. gracilis to 57 μg L(-1) U resulted in a 50% reduction in ...

Mammalian spermatogenesis is characterized by dramatic cellular change to transform the non-polar spermatogonium into the highly polarized, functional spermatozoon. The acquisition of cell polarity is a requisite step for formation of viable sperm. The polarity of the spermatozoon is clearly demonstrated by the acrosome at the apical pole of the ...

Acyl carrier protein (ACP) is a small acidic protein, an important cofactor involved in fatty acid biosynthesis. Its main function is to protect the growing acyl chain from the hydrophilic environment during fatty acid biosynthesis and simultaneously, present it to the active site of fatty acid pathway enzymes, liable for ...

PURPOSE: There is as yet no optimal treatment regimen for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene wild-type non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed despite cytotoxic chemotherapy. This trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of erlotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of EGFR, in Japanese patients ...

  Branchial cleft anomalies are rare developmental defects of the neck, with an estimated 2% to 3% being bilateral. Although most are isolated findings, some are associated with syndromes. We report a 2-month-old boy with bilateral branchial cleft anomalies, low-set ears, and hydronephrosis who tested positive for a mutation in ...

We report a case of a 30-year old male, who presented with a right distal radius intra-articular fracture complicated by compartment syndrome. He was treated with fasciotomies and fracture fixation with a 3.5 mm LCP (Synthes(™)), followed 7 days later by skin graft. Repeat radiographs 8 weeks later showed a break across the ...

Chronic inflammation, promoted by an upregulated NF-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway, has a key role in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients' pathogenesis. Blocking the NF-κB pathway has been shown to be a viable approach to diminish chronic inflammation and necrosis in the dystrophin-defective mdx mouse, a murine DMD model. In this ...

BackgroundWe aimed to examine the relationship between iron status and hypertension as few studies have addressed this.MethodsWe analyzed the association between ferritin/total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) and the subsequent development of hypertension. A total of 8,580 men who visited the Health Promotion Center for a medical checkup in 2005 were followed-up ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to carry out an ultrastructural study of the biomaterial-to-bone interface and biomaterial mineral degradation in retrieved bone biopsies following maxillary sinus augmentation using collagenized porcine xenografts (Osteobiol(®) Mp3) in 15 clinical cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine months after sinus lifting, bone cores were ...

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has a vital role in regulating the cardiovascular system. The primary effector of the RAS is the octapeptide angiotensin (Ang) II, a potent regulator of blood pressure and water homeostasis. Ang II mediates its functions through the stimulation of two distinct receptors, AT(1) (two subtypes in ...

A historical understanding of the virtue of consolation, as contrasted to empathy, compassion, or sympathy, is developed. Recent findings from neuroscience are presented which support and affirm this understanding. These findings are related to palliative care and its current practice in bioethics.

OBJECTIVE: A recombinant annexin A5 with the N-terminal extension of six histidine residues was labeled with (99m)Tc(I)-tricarbonyl ion to produce the (99m)Tc-labeled annexin A5, referred to (99m)Tc(I)-his(6)-annexin A5. We have explored the agent as an effective imaging probe for in vivo detecting the apoptosis of internal tissue subjected with high ...

We study transport properties of two Josephson junctions coupled by an external shunt resistance. One of the junctions (say, the first) is driven by an unbiased ac current consisting of two harmonics. The device can rectify the ac current yielding a dc voltage across the first junction. For some values ...

Azilsartan is a novel angiotensin receptor blocker being developed for hypertension treatment. This 16-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study compared the efficacy and safety of azilsartan (20-40 mg once daily by forced titration) and its ability to provide 24-h blood pressure (BP) control, with that of candesartan cilexetil (candesartan; 8-12 mg ...

Metagenomic data sets were generated from samples collected along a coastal to open ocean transect between Southern California Bight and California Current waters during a seasonal upwelling event, providing an opportunity to examine the impact of episodic pulses of cold nutrient-rich water into surface ocean microbial communities. The data set ...

Understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms of ovarian cancer has been the focus of research efforts working toward the greater goal of improving cancer therapy for patients with residual disease after initial treatment with conventional surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The focus of this review will be centered on new therapeutic ...

Pronounced absorption in the visible-NIR range of 400-1300 nm is demonstrated in the Ag(2)S nanoparticles (NPs)/ZnO nanowire (NW) array. ZnO NW arrays are grown on indium tin oxide substrates using chemical bath deposition. The Ag(2)S NPs are sequentially formed on the ZnO NWs through sonochemical synthesis. Structural characterizations indicate the ...

Objective: To determine the relationship between mobility performance measures and Wheelchair Skill Test (WST) scores and to establish the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of these measures. Methods: Forty patients with spinal cord injury participated in this study. Subjects performed the Wheelchair Skill Test and mobility performance tests: maximal velocity (Vmax), ...

Biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) has a poor prognosis. However, no standard chemotherapy regimens have been established for inoperable cases or cases of recurrence after surgical resection. Recent molecular biological analysis has shown that epidermal growth factor receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, ...

Cerebrospinal fluid is vital for normal brain function. Changes to the composition, flow, or pressure can cause a variety of neurological symptoms and signs. Equally, disorders of nervous tissue may alter cerebrospinal fluid characteristics. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid can provide information on diagnosis, may be therapeutic in certain conditions, and ...

The relative impact of genetic and social influences on disordered eating behaviors (DEB) including binging, purging, excessive dieting and negative self-evaluations about weight remain an issue of debate. The current study sought to examine the relative influence of genetic and social influences on DEB. A 7-year prospective analysis of 580 ...