Incorporation of a bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane scaffold into the nucleoside sugar was devised to lock the embedded cyclopentane ring in conformations that mimic the furanose North and South sugar puckers. To analyze the effects of North-methanocarba-2'-deoxythymidine (N-MCdT) on the B-form DNA, we crystallized d(CGCGAA[mcTmcT]CGCG) with two N-MCdTs. Instead of a duplex, the ...

Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) catalyzes the stereospecific 1,2-proton shift at dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) to give (R)-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate through a pair of isomeric enzyme-bound cis-enediolate phosphate intermediates. The chemical transformations that occur at the active site of TIM were well understood by the early 1990s. The mechanism for enzyme-catalyzed isomerization is similar ...

The formation of high charge-state protein ions with nanoelectrospray ionization (nESI) from purely aqueous ammonium bicarbonate solutions at neutral pH, where the proteins have native or native-like conformations prior to ESI droplet formation, is demonstrated. This "electrothermal" supercharging method depends on the temperature of the instrument entrance capillary, the nESI ...

Unique to ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is the ability to provide collision cross section (CCS) data and the capacity to delineate any dissociation and/or unfolding of protein complexes. The strong correlation of the experimentally determined CCS with theory is indicative of the retention of native structure in the gas ...

Gamma irradiation is a safe method for the decontamination of shellfish, and its technical feasibility and safety have been endorsed (FAO/IAEA/WHO). In order to implement proper food-processing regulations, the identification of radiation treatment is required. In this study, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was employed to identify the irradiation of ...

Microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) has been used to increase the gel strength of surimi. Nevertheless, its effectiveness varies with fish species. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of MTGase at different levels on protein cross-linking and gel property of surimi from threadfin bream, Indian mackerel and sardine ...

Tangerines have a distinct flavor among citrus fruit. However, information on tangerine volatiles remains limited. Volatile compounds from a breeding population of tangerines were earlier identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In this study, five hybrids with a distinct volatile profile were analyzed by gas-chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and descriptive sensory analysis. Forty-nine ...

Silage additives are marketed with the primary aim of improving the fermentation and/or aerobic stability of silage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of three different essential oils (EOs; cinnamon leaf (CIN), oregano (ORE) and sweet orange (SO)) on the fermentation characteristics and stability of barley ...

Dried root of Sophora flavescens Ait. is a medicinal material occasionally misused or adulterated by other species similar in appearance. In this study the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of DNA samples of S. flavescens Ait. collected from different areas of Taiwan were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ...

Recent results have indicated that factor Xa (FXa) cleaves protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) to elicit protective intracellular signaling responses in endothelial cells. In this study, we investigated the molecular determinants of the specificity of FXa interaction with PAR-2 by monitoring the cleavage of PAR-2 by FXa in endothelial cells transiently ...

Among the various factors correlated with toxin production in fungi, oxidative stress is a crucial one. In relation to this, an important role is played by oxidative stress-related receptors. These receptors can transduce the "oxidative message" to the nucleus and promote a transcriptional change targeted at restoring the correct redox ...

Our goal was to assess clinical and radiographic outcomes using a second-generation circumferentially proximally porous-coated titanium alloy stem at a minimum of eight years of follow-up. Ninety-one hips (80 patients) with Fibre Metal Taper (FMT, Zimmer Inc, Warsaw, IN, USA) femoral stems implanted between May 1998 and April 2002 were ...

Overall, genetically determined diseases of the pancreas are rare. Recently, it was demonstrated that in chronic pancreatitis many patients carry genetic changes in associated genes. Aside from chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis is also characterized by exocrine insufficiency in many patients. Genetic alterations in CFTR can be found in patients suffering ...

A human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) neutralization escape mutant was obtained after 56 serial passages in the presence of a polyclonal antiserum raised against the F protein. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this escape mutant virus revealed two amino acid substitutions: Asn268Ile and Val533Met. When this virus was allowed to grow ...

Ventricular tachycardias (VT), shocks, and clusters of shock are ominous signs in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and herald an increased risk of hospitalization and mortality. VT clusters have been associated with aggravation of heart failure (19%), acute coronary events (14%), and electrolyte imbalance (10%). Yet, any association of potential causative ...

The aim of this study was to analyse the results of treatment of sonographically diagnosed type IIb developmental hip dysplasia and to identify residual hip dysplasia using clinical and radiological assessment. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 49 children (59 type IIb and 39 type I hips, according to Graf's ...

BACKGROUND: Rectal cancer in patients aged ≥ 80 years is increasingly more frequent. Little is known regarding their clinical history and outcome after treatment. This retrospective study was undertaken to provide data on this situation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A questionnaire was sent to the medical doctors of 414 patients listed in the database ...

We previously reported the isolation of South River virus (SORV) from a pool of mosquitoes collected in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico (Farfan-Ale et al. in Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 10:777-783, 5). The isolate (designated SORV-252) was identified as SORV after a 197-nucleotide region of its small RNA genome segment ...

The attachment of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferriphilum spp. grown on ferrous medium or adapted to a pyrite mineral concentrate to four mineral substrata, namely, chalcopyrite and pyrite concentrates, a low-grade chalcopyrite ore (0.5 wt%) and quartzite, was investigated. The quartzite represented a typical gangue mineral and served as a control. ...

Previous studies suggest a protective effect of vitamin D3 on zinc deficiency-induced insulin secretion and on pancreas β-cell function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D on blood biochemical parameters, tissue zinc and liver glutathione in diabetic rats fed a zinc-deficient diet. For that ...

The identification and characterization of an increasing number of chromosomal and molecular aberrations has not only increased the understanding of the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia but also provides the means for a better judgment of prognosis and the direction of therapy. Together with patient-specific factors like age, co-morbidity, and ...

Concentrations of five metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and lead) were determined in tree leaves collected from 13 areas of the Attica basin and Athens city, Greece. Geographical distribution patterns were investigated, and factors affecting toxic element accumulation in trees were discussed. The mean heavy metal content in the tree ...

Cystic kidney diseases are clinically and genetically heterogeneous. The most important entities are autosomal-dominant and autosomal-recessive polycystic kidney diseases. The proteins encoded by the involved genes are referred to as cystoproteins, which are located predominantly in the primary cilia. Primary cilia play an important role in cyst formation. Inherited polycystic ...

Dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA) is one of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, and is expected to show anti-allergic activity. We examined the effects of supplementation with DGLA-enriched oil (450 mg as free DGLA) for 4 weeks in healthy adults in a randomized controlled study. The DGLA composition in the total fatty acids of serum ...

BACKGROUND: There is a consistently reported relationship between the incidence of colon cancer and obesity. It is thought that adipose tissue, particularly visceral fat, which secretes systemic factors that alter immunological, metabolic and endocrine milieu and promotes insulin resistance by producing adipocytokines, is important in cancer progression. Systemic high concentrations ...

In this study, general knowledge and some details of the floods in Eastern Black Sea Basin of Turkey are presented. Brief hydro-meteorological analysis of selected nine floods and detailed analysis of the greatest flood are given. In the studied area, 51 big floods have taken place between 1955-2005 years, causing 258 ...

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study aimed to identify prognostic factors for local control and survival in 214 patients irradiated for spinal cord compression (SCC) from myeloma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten potential prognostic factors were investigated including age, gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score (ECOG-PS), number of involved vertebrae, ambulatory status, other ...

BACKGROUND: Long-term outcomes of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation for congenital cataract in children under 2 years old are still undetermined. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of bilateral congenital cataract who had undergone simultaneous bilateral cataract removal with posterior capsulotomy and central anterior vitrectomy between 1990 and 2010. Patients randomly underwent ...

We previously isolated two α-L: -arabinofuranosidases (ABFs), termed AFQ1 and AFS1, from the culture filtrate of Penicillium chrysogenum 31B. afq1 and afs1 complementary DNAs encoding AFQ1 and AFS1 were isolated by in vitro cloning. The deduced amino acid sequences of AFQ1 and AFS1 are highly similar to those of Penicillium ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of vitrectomy including internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling without gas tamponade for myopic foveoschisis (MF). METHOD: In this retrospective study, 15 eyes of 13 consecutive patients with MF underwent pars plana vitrectomy and ILM peeling without gas tamponade. The main outcomes were measured using best-corrected ...

Receptors coupled to G proteins have many effects on the heart. Enhanced signaling by Gα(s) and Gα(q) leads to cardiac injury and heart failure, while Gα(i2) signaling in cardiac myocytes can protect against ischemic injury and β-adrenergic-induced heart failure. We asked whether enhanced Gα(i2) signaling in mice could protect against ...

A total of 38 patients (18 female/20 male) with childhood meningioma were recruited from the German registry HIT-Endo (1989-2009). In 5 cases meningioma occurred as second malignant neoplasm (SMN). Histologies were confirmed by reference assessment in all cases (SMN: 2 WHO I, 1 WHO II, 2 WHO III). The SMNs were diagnosed at a ...

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to objectively evaluate visual function and the causal relationship between sleep apnea and optic nerve dysfunction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) with or without diagnosis of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) using multifocal visual evoked potentials (mfVEP). METHODS: This observational, cross-sectional study assessed 20 ...

In the European Union and Canada, an Ann Arbor strain live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is approved for use in children aged 2-17 years, including those with mild to moderate asthma or prior wheezing. The safety and efficacy of LAIV versus trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) in children with asthma ...

Mycobacterium strain NBB4 is an ethene-oxidising micro-organism isolated from estuarine sediments. In pursuit of new systems for biocatalytic epoxidation, we report the capacity of strain NBB4 to convert a diverse range of alkene substrates to epoxides. A colorimetric assay based on 4-(4-nitrobenzyl)pyridine) has been developed to allow the rapid characterisation ...

BACKGROUND: A recent randomized controlled trial (Trastuzumab for Gastric Cancer [ToGA] study) established standard scoring criteria of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) for gastric cancer and demonstrated the efficacy of trastuzumab for treating metastatic gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of ...

Known conceptual and technical limitations of mainstream environmental health data analysis have directed research to new avenues. The goal is to deal more efficiently with the inherent uncertainty and composite space-time heterogeneity of key attributes, account for multi-sourced knowledge bases (health models, survey data, empirical relationships etc.), and generate more ...

PURPOSE: To assess the performance of CT-Enteroclysis (CTE) in the preoperative evaluation of the small bowel (SB) involvement in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), candidates for cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 48 consecutive patients (37 women, 11 men, mean age: ...

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common, sleep-related movement disorder. The symptoms follow a circadian pattern, worsening in the evening or night, leading to sleep disruption and daytime somnolence. Familial forms of RLS have been described and usually display an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. To date, linkage analysis has ...

We performed a replication study in 883 Austrian multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 972 control individuals for 25 previously risk-associated loci (39 SNPs). Two loci, rs1109670 (DDEF2/MBOAT2, p < 0.02) and rs16914086 (TBC1D2, p < 0.05), are replicated here for the first time. Furthermore, we tested all 39 SNPs for association with age at ...

PURPOSE: The goal of this work was to examine the possible influence of periclavicular irradiation on outcome of breast cancer patients with 1-3 positive lymph nodes with special emphasis on late toxicity rates. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1997 and 2000, 235 breast cancer patients (T1-2, 1-3 involved lymph nodes) were treated ...

The aim of the present study was to assess changes of cell membrane antigens on neutrophils in septic patients. Expression levels of neutrophil membrane antigens were measured employing a FACS calibur flow cytometer with several fluorescence-labeled monoclonal antibodies. Expression levels of the CD14 antigen were higher in patients with sepsis ...

OBJECTIVES: Nanohybrid resin-based composites (RBCs) containing new types of matrix monomers such as dimer acid-based dimethacrylate or tricyclodecane-urethane are assumed to show decreased water uptake and therefore better resistance to hydrolytic degradation than RBCs using bisphenol A diglycidyl methacrylate (BisGMA) due to their hydropobic nature. Our study aimed to analyze ...

The dependence of aboveground biomass and productivity of tropical forests on soil fertility is not fully understood, since previous studies yielded contrasting results. Here, we quantify aboveground biomass (AGB) and stem wood production, and examine the impact of soil chemistry on these parameters in mature tropical forest stands of the ...

A 69-year man presented with 3 days of progressively worsening abdominal pain, radiating to his back, with nausea and vomiting. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen showed evidence of aortitis, for which he eventually underwent surgery. The surgical specimen of the aorta grew Clostridium septicum that was treated with antibiotics.

The paper discusses ambient concentrations of PM(2.5) (ambient fine particles) and of 29 PM(2.5)-related elements in Zabrze and Katowice, Poland, in 2007. The elemental composition of PM(2.5) was determined using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The mobility (cumulative percentage of the water-soluble and exchangeable fractions of an element in its ...

Patients with progressive heart failure often suffer from sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Upon receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), there is an improvement of cardiac function and central sleep apnea syndrome (CSA) with Cheyne-Stokes respiration; however, effects of CRT on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome seemed to be without clinical relevance. Likewise, additional ...

The nitrogen (N) deposition fluxes were investigated in eight typical forest ecosystems along the North-South Transect of Eastern China (NSTEC; based on the ChinaFLUX network) by ion-exchange resin (IER) columns from May 2008 to April 2009. Our results demonstrated that the method of IER columns was both labor cost saving ...

Climate change could significantly influence seasonal streamflow and water availability in the snowpack-fed watersheds of Washington, USA. Descriptions of snowpack decline often use linear ordinary least squares (OLS) models to quantify this change. However, the region's precipitation is known to be related to climate cycles. If snowpack decline is more ...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifunctional gaseous molecule that regulates various physiological functions in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells. NO is synthesized by nitric oxide synthases (NOSs), of which three isoforms have been identified. Neuronal NOS (nNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) constitutively produce low levels of NO as a cell-signaling ...