Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one example of serious disorders for which medical progress and the integration of chronic treatment into the patients' daily routines have led to markedly better longevity. Formerly known as a 'killer disease' of childhood, CF is now considered a disorder with childhood onset, but is well ...

Stroke is a major health problem worldwide, and is often fatal or associated with poor long-term outcomes. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is responsible for up to 20% of all strokes; and the risk of stroke in patients with AF increases with age. Although warfarin is well established for the prevention of ...

BACKGROUND: Overlapping histopathologic features of cellular neurothekeoma (CNT) and plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor (PFHT), when both are predominantly composed of histiocytoid cells, make distinction between these entities challenging. Some have suggested that CNT and PFHT are related entities. No prior study has demonstrated a reliable immunohistochemical panel to differentiate these entities. ...

With 2 million deaths per year, TB remains the most significant bacterial killer. The long duration of chemotherapy and the large pool of latently infected people represent challenges in disease control. To develop drugs that effectively eradicate latent infection and shorten treatment duration, the pathophysiology of the causative agent Mycobacterium ...

PURPOSE:: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new porcine biomaterial and collagen paste in 20 New Zealand rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: Forty implants using a porcine xenograft made up of 80% corticocancellous collagenated bone particles of ≤300 μm in size were placed in the ...

Demographic change is increasingly determined by development associated with very old age. The reduction of mortality in very old age will continue, so that an age between 80 and 100 years will become common. Present research findings suggest that, with respect to their physical resources, humans are not well equipped ...

Purpose: Interactive water displays are becoming increasingly popular and can result in direct eye contact. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate eye injury risk from high speed water stream impacts and to provide biomechanically based design parameters for water toys and water park fountains. Methods: An experimental ...

Objectives- To determine the relative wash-out of hepatocellular carcinomas and dysplastic nodules using Kupffer-phase sonography with Sonazoid (Daiichi-Sankyo, Tokyo, Japan) enhancement and hepatobiliary-phase gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of the histopathologic grades of individual nodules. Methods- This retrospective study included 66 consecutive patients with 78 histologically ...

Purpose Published evidence on quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes and health care costs in patients with postthrombotic syndrome (PTS), a common and difficult-to-diagnose complication of venous thromboembolism (VTE), is reviewed. Summary Occurring in as many as 70% of patients with VTE, PTS remains a challenging and costly disorder, partly due to the ...

Purpose: Dyslipidemia is characterized by high lipid blood levels that are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which are leading causes of death. However, it is unclear whether dyslipidemia is a cause of the dry eye syndrome (DES). Therefore we determined in transgenic mice models of dyslipidemia, whether there is an ...

Helping nursing graduates transition to practice is a concern for nursing educators and employers. This article reports graduates' perceptions of transition both when jobs were plentiful and when jobs were scarce. Survey results from comparison of 2008 and 2010 graduates demonstrated few differences. Key indicators of successful transition were positive ...

The development of radiologic criteria for the assessment of response to treatment in high-grade gliomas (HGGs) has evolved considerably over the past few decades since the original response criteria based on computed tomography imaging. Accuracy and objectivity in the assessment of response to treatment of HGGs is necessary for altering ...

Objectives- The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the arterial input on perfusion parameters measured using dynamic contrast-enhanced sonography combined with a deconvolution method after bolus injections of a contrast agent. Methods- The in vitro experiments were conducted using a custom-made setup consisting of pumping a ...

Background and Aims Ericales are a major group of extant asterid angiosperms that are well represented in the Late Cretaceous fossil record, mainly by flowers, fruits and seeds. Exceptionally well preserved fossil flowers, here described as Glandulocalyx upatoiensis gen. & sp. nov., from the Santonian of Georgia, USA, yield new ...

Purpose: To evaluate the central macular thickness (CMT) and the cystoid macular edema (CME) after uncomplicated phacoemulsification surgery. Material and methods: Ninety-one eyes of 88 patients who underwent uncomplicated phacoemulsification surgery between December 2008 and May 2009 were included in the study. Detailed ophthalmologic examinations and spectral domain optical coherence ...

Approximately 5-10% of breast cancers may be inheritable, up to 90% of which are due to mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. A substantial minority are caused by non-BRCA mutations, such as TP53, PTEN, STK11, CHEK2, ATM, BRIP1, and PALB2 mutations. This review highlights translational research advances with regard to the ...

Purpose: To investigate whether the polymorphisms of CFB/C2 gene are associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and to evaluate the magnitude of gene effect. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of the association between four SNPs in CFB/C2 gene (rs9332739, rs547154, rs4151667, and rs641153) and risk of AMD using data from ...

Glioblastoma multiforme constitutes the most common primary brain tumor and carries a grim prognosis for patients treated with conventional therapy including surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. There has been a recent revival of selective intra-arterial delivery of targeted agents for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. Because these agents are less ...

Objectives: Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has important regulating roles in the immune system, especially in the differentiation of the type 17 helper T cells (Th17 cells). In this study, we analysed the potential association of the type III TGF-β receptor (TGFBR3) genetic variations (rs2489188 and rs1805110) in the Chinese Han ...

Expression of low molecular weight (LMW) isoforms of cyclin E is a strong predictor of poor outcome in patients with breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of full-length and LMW cyclin E in bladder cancer cell lines and patient tumors. We used western blotting, ...

The Atg4 cysteine proteases play crucial roles in the processing of Atg8 proteins during autophagy, but their regulation during cellular stress and differentiation remains poorly understood. We have found that two Atg4 family members--Atg4C and Atg4D--contain cryptic mitochondrial targeting sequences immediately downstream of their canonical (DEVD) caspase cleavage sites. Consequently, ...

Autophagy reallocates nutrients and clears normal cells of damaged proteins and organelles. In the context of metastatic disease, invading cancer cells hijack autophagic processes to survive and adapt in the host microenvironment. We sought to understand how autophagy is regulated in the metastatic niche for prostate cancer (PCa) cells where ...

Chronic drinking leads to myocardial contractile dysfunction where ethanol metabolism plays an essential role. Acetaldehyde, the main ethanol metabolite, mediates alcohol-induced cell injury although the underlying mechanism is still elusive. This study was designed to examine the mechanism involved in accelerated ethanol metabolism-induced cardiac defect with a focus on autophagy. ...

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by a mutation in the gene encoding the protein huntingtin on chromosome 4. The mutation is an expanded CAG repeat in the first exon, encoding a polyglutamine tract. If the polyglutamine tract is > 40, penetrance is 100% and death is inevitable. ...

Sebaceous neoplasms are commonly considered in their relationship to the Muir-Torre syndrome and the now well-documented loss of DNA mismatch repair proteins leading to microsatellite instability. However, sebaceous neoplasms showing microsatellite instability comprise only a subset of this group of tumors, and thus, alternative tumorigenic mechanisms must exist. This article ...

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and its Outcomes Study (DPPOS) demonstrated that either intensive lifestyle intervention or metformin could prevent type 2 diabetes in high-risk adults for at least 10 years after randomization. We report the 10-year within-trial cost-effectiveness of the interventions. Data on resource utilization, cost, and quality of ...

Metformin produced weight loss and delayed or prevented diabetes in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). We examined its long-term safety and tolerability along with weight loss, and change in waist circumference during the DPP and its long-term follow-up. The randomized double-blind clinical trial of metformin or placebo followed by a ...

Although loss of functional β-cell mass is a hallmark of diabetes, no treatment approaches that halt this process are currently available. We recently identified thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) as an attractive target in this regard. Glucose and diabetes upregulate β-cell TXNIP expression, and TXNIP overexpression induces β-cell apoptosis. In contrast, genetic ...

Per current guidelines, patients with a first-degree relative (FDR) with adenomas should get screened at age 40. Data on the prevalence of adenomas and advanced adenomas (AAs) in these patients are lacking. To examine the prevalence of adenomas and AAs in 40- to 49-year-old individuals undergoing screening colonoscopy because of ...

Costimulatory and inhibitory receptors are critical regulators of adaptive immune cell function. These pathways regulate the initiation and termination of effective immune responses to infections while limiting autoimmunity and/or immunopathology. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of inhibitory receptor pathways and their roles in different diseases and/or ...

Although the most important prognostic and predictive marker in colorectal cancer is tumor cells in lymph nodes, approximately 30% of patients who are node-negative die from occult metastases. Molecular staging employing specific markers and sensitive detection technologies has emerged as a powerful platform to assess prognosis in node-negative colon cancer. ...

Previous studies based on fetal magnetocardiographic (fMCG) recordings used simplified volume conductor models to estimate the fetal cardiac vector as an unequivocal measure of the cardiac source strength. However, the effect of simplified volume conductor modeling on the accuracy of the fMCG inverse solution remains largely unknown. Aiming to determine ...

The evidence on the association between fish consumption, dietary long-chain n-3 fatty acids, and risk of type 2 diabetes is inconsistent. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available prospective evidence. Studies were identified by searching the PubMed and EMBASE databases through 15 December 2011 and by ...

Ecological data suggest an inverse correlation between fish consumption and diabetes prevalence. However, epidemiological data on fish intake and diabetes incidence are controversial and inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to assess the literature and determine the association between fish consumption and diabetes risk quantitatively. Prospective cohort studies published through August 2011 ...

Type 1 diabetes is preceded by islet β-cell dysfunction, but the mechanisms leading to β-cell dysfunction have not been rigorously studied. Because immune cell infiltration occurs prior to overt diabetes, we hypothesized that activation of inflammatory cascades and appearance of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in β-cells contributes to insulin secretory ...

To use Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure corneal power and calculate intraocular lens (IOL) power in cataract surgeries after laser vision correction. Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, California, and Cullen Eye Institute, Houston, Texas, USA. Prospective comparative case series. Patients with previous myopic laser vision correction who had ...

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) and dendrimers are two major classes of nanomaterials that have demonstrated great potential for targeted drug delivery. However, their targeting efficacy has not yet met clinical needs, largely because of a lack of control over their targeting kinetics, which often results in rapid clearance and off-target drug ...

OBJECTIVES: This study examined survival after surgical palliation in children with single-ventricle physiology. BACKGROUND: Contemporary surgical outcomes for the entire population of newborns undergoing single-ventricle palliation are unclear. METHODS: In a single-center review of 499 consecutive patients undergoing univentricular palliation from 1990 to 2008, predictors of mortality were determined using ...

This study sought to examine the hemodynamic determinants of dysregulated arginine metabolism in patients with acute decompensated heart failure and to explore possible mechanisms of arginine dysregulation in human heart failure. Accumulating methylated arginine metabolites and impaired arginine bioavailability have been associated with heart failure, but the underlying pathophysiology remains ...

Sickle cell disease is characterized by recurrent episodes of ischemia-reperfusion injury to multiple vital organ systems and a chronic hemolytic anemia, both contributing to progressive organ dysfunction. The introduction of treatments that induce protective fetal hemoglobin and reduce infectious complications has greatly prolonged survival. However, with increased longevity, cardiovascular complications ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to provide a simple, reproducible, and point-of-care assessment of peri-prosthetic aortic regurgitation (periAR) during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and to decipher the impact of this peri-procedural parameter on outcome. BACKGROUND: Because periAR after TAVI might be associated with adverse outcome, precise quantification ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine the predictive value of QRS duration and morphology during watchful waiting in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis (AS). BACKGROUND: QRS duration and morphology are associated with poor prognosis in many different populations, but the predictive value, particularly of the risk of ...

The HIV-1 group M epidemic illustrates the extraordinary impact and consequences resulting from a single zoonotic transmission. Exposure to blood or other secretions of infected animals, through hunting and butchering of bushmeat, or through bites and scratches inflicted by pet nonhuman primates (NHPs), represent the most plausible source for human ...

Aromatase (CYP19) catalyzes the terminal step in estrogen biosynthesis, which requires three separate oxidation reactions, culminating in an enigmatic aromatization that converts an androgen to an estrogen. A stable ferric peroxo (Fe(3+)O(2)(2-)) intermediate is seen by electron paramagnetic resonance, but its role in this complex reaction remains controversial. Combining molecular ...

This study analyzed whether lower calf muscle density and poorer upper and lower extremity strength are associated with higher mortality rates in men and women with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Men and women with lower extremity PAD have lower calf muscle density and reduced lower extremity strength compared with individuals ...

While early-stage endometrial cancer is often successfully treated with surgical intervention, treatment of advanced endometrial carcinoma can be difficult and prognosis poor, particularly in the context of metastatic or recurrent disease. Standard chemotherapy agents for both adjuvant first-line treatment (for selected patients deemed at high risk of relapse) and recurrent ...

Telaprevir (Incivo®, Incivek®), an orally administered inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus non-structural protein NS3-4A serine protease, is used in combination with pegylated interferon (peginterferon)-alpha and ribavirin in the treatment of adults with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (chronic hepatitis C). This article reviews data on the ...

The goal of organ transplantation is to provide durable organ function while minimizing risks such as infection and cancer. Induction therapy in renal transplantation provides improved short- and long-term graft outcomes compared with placebo. Three agents are currently available and widely used in the US; rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG), basiliximab ...

Rasagiline (Azilect®), a selective, irreversible, monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor, is available in the EU, the US and in several other countries worldwide, including Canada and Israel. It is indicated as monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy to levodopa for the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease in adult patients with end-of-dose fluctuations in ...

Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES) is a primary immunodeficiency disorder characterized by atopic manifestations and susceptibility to infections with extracellular bacteria and fungi. Atopic manifestations include atopic dermatitis-like skin lesion and extremely high serum IgE levels. Most of the extracellular bacterial infections are caused by Staphylococcus aureus, which is associated with milder ...