The prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide and threatens to shorten lifespan. Impaired insulin action in peripheral tissues is a major pathogenic factor. Insulin stimulates glucose uptake in adipose tissue through the GLUT4 (also known as SLC2A4) glucose transporter, and alterations in adipose tissue GLUT4 expression ...

Some bacterial plasmids carry antibiotic resistance genes and replicate by an asymmetric, rolling circle mechanism, in which replication of the two strands is not concurrent. Initiation of this replication occurs via an initiator protein that nicks one DNA strand at the double-stranded origin of replication. In this work, RepD protein ...

Myocilin is a widely expressed protein with no known function; however, mutations in myocilin appear to manifest uniquely as ocular hypertension and the blinding disease of glaucoma. Using the protein homology/analogy recognition engine (Phyre), we find that the olfactomedin domain of myocilin is similar in sequence motif and structure to ...

Defatted soybean flour (DSF) can efficiently sorb, concentrate, and stabilize polyphenols, but not sugars, from Concord grape juice, to yield grape polyphenol-enriched DSF. Sorption of grape polyphenols to DSF particles was dependent on the ratio of DSF and grape juice concentrate used, but not time of mixing or pH. Depending ...

To explore cell cycle regulation in the dimorphic fungus Candida albicans, we identified and characterized CaNrm1, a C. albicans homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Whi5 and Nrm1 transcription inhibitors that, analogous to mammalian Rb, regulate the cell cycle transcription programme during the G1 phase. CaNRM1 is able to complement the ...

The selective two-electron reduction of O(2) by one-electron reductants such as decamethylferrocene (Fc*) and octamethylferrocene (Me(8)Fc) is efficiently catalyzed by a binuclear Cu(II) complex [Cu(II)(2)(LO)(OH)](2+) (D1) {LO is a binucleating ligand with copper-bridging phenolate moiety} in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (HOTF) in acetone. The protonation of the hydroxide group ...

This work examines the use of purified meta-cresol purple (mCP) for direct spectrophotometric calibration of glass pH electrodes in seawater. The procedures used in this investigation allow for simple, inexpensive electrode calibrations over salinities of 20-40 and temperatures of 278.15-308.15 K without preparation of synthetic Tris seawater buffers. The optimal ...

Tienilic acid (TA) is a uricosuric diuretic that was withdrawn from the market only months after its introduction because of reports of serious incidents of drug-induced liver injury including some fatalities. Its hepatotoxicity is considered to be primarily immunoallergic in nature. Like other thiophene compounds, TA undergoes biotransformation to a ...

The control of a nanometer-wide gap between tip and substrate is critical for nanoscale applications of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Here, we demonstrate that the stability of the nanogap in ambient conditions is significantly compromised by the thermal expansion and contraction of components of an SECM stage upon a temperature ...

Umbilical hernias occur frequently in children but complications are very rare and thus surgery is not routinely indicated. In this literature review, we report 19 cases of spontaneous evisceration of abdominal contents through umbilical hernias. Precipitating causes included umbilical ulceration or sepsis, crying, respiratory infection, intussusception and ascites. Management involved ...

The aim of this study was to compare temporally separated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin (Ang)-1 delivery with concomitant delivery or single VEGF delivery, for therapeutic angiogenesis in chronic ischemia. Single gene delivery of VEGF results in immature neovessels that ultimately regress. Endogenously, VEGF acts early to initiate ...

The aim of this study was to investigate impact of metabolic syndrome (MS) on outcomes of catheter ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in terms of recurrence and quality of life (QoL). MS, a proinflammatory state with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity, is presumed to be a close associate ...

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) convened a Working Group (WG) on August 5 to 6, 2010 in Bethesda, Maryland to discuss future directions of research in heart transplantation (HT). The WG was composed of researchers with expertise in the basic science, clinical science, and epidemiological aspects of ...

The present study was designed to assess whether supplementation of different levels of vitamin E to long-term arsenic exposed goats affords protection against the oxidative stress caused by the metalloid. Twenty-four crossbred lactating goats were distributed randomly into four groups (control, T(1), T(2) and T(3)) of six in each. The ...

The federal government has investigated a large number of institutions regarding concerns that implantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedures were performed in violation of the criteria set forth in a National Coverage Determination. We describe our experience and responses to such an audit, as well as the to complexities and nuances of practicing ...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on the steady-state pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of clopidogrel. Metabolism of clopidogrel requires cytochrome P450s (CYPs), including CYP2C19. However, PPIs may inhibit CYP2C19, potentially reducing the effectiveness of clopidogrel. A randomized, open-label, 2-period, crossover study ...

The purpose of this study was to characterize patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) and atrial fibrillation (AF) treated percutaneously using the MitraClip device (Abbott Vascular, Abbott Park, Illinois) and compare the results with surgery in this population. The EVEREST II (Endovascular Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair Study) randomized controlled trial compared a ...

The aim of this study was to confirm the expression profile of cytokeratin (CK)17 in comparison with that of CK13 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and leukoplakia and to clarify an association of CK17 with the OSCC differentiation. The expression of CK17 and CK13 was immunohistochemically examined in 105 ...

Aim:The sex hormones 17β-estradiol (βES) and progesterone (PRG) induce rapid non-genomic vasodilator effects which could be protective for the cardiovascular system. The purpose of this study was to analyze the mechanisms underlying their vasodilator effect in rat aortic smooth muscle preparations.Methods:Endothelium-denuded aorta artery rings were prepared from male Wistar rats ...

Objective: Resistive index (RI) is an indirect measurement of blood flow resistance that can be used to evaluate vascular damage in ophthalmologic diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between RI values of orbital arteries by using the color Doppler imaging (CDI) in type II diabetes ...

Naturally occurring sulforaphane (SF) has been extensively studied for cancer prevention. However, little is known as to which organs may be most affected by this agent, which impedes its further development. In the present study, SF was administered to rats orally either in a single dose or once daily for ...

Histamine is an important neurotransmitter as it controls a multitude of physiological functions by activating specific receptors on target cells. It exerts its effects by binding to four different histamine receptors (H(1)-H(4)), which all belong to the large family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Research and development of H(1) ligand ...

Tissues of the CNS, such as the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord, may be affected by a range of insults including genetic, autoimmune, infectious, or neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. The immune system is involved in the pathogenesis of many of these, either by causing tissue damage or alternatively by ...

Uremic patients are characterized by a "pro-arrhythmic substrate." Arrhythmia appearance during hemodialysis (HD) is an unexpected event with a high incidence of mortality and morbidity and difficult to record in patients repeatedly checked using electrocardiogram (ECG). Furthermore the carrying out of this important examination by classical devices during HD is ...

We studied the spin state dependence of the electrical conductivity of the spin crossover compound [Fe(Htrz)(2)(trz)](BF(4)) (Htrz = 1H-1,2,4-triazole) by means of dc electrical measurements. The low spin state is characterized by higher conductance and lower thermal activation energy of the conductivity, when compared to the high spin state.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifocal demyelinating disease with progressive neurodegeneration caused by an autoimmune response to self-antigens in a genetically susceptible individual. While the formation and persistence of meningeal lymphoid follicles suggest persistence of antigens to drive the continuing inflammatory and humoral response, the identity of an antigen or ...

OBJECTIVE: Nutritionists in the UK are at the start of an exciting time of professional development. The establishment of the Association for Nutrition in 2010 has presented an opportunity to review, revitalize and expand the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists. In the UK and elsewhere, there is a need for ...

Pathogenic microbes exist in dynamic niches and have evolved robust adaptive responses to promote survival in their hosts. The major fungal pathogens of humans, Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, are exposed to a range of environmental stresses in their hosts including osmotic, oxidative and nitrosative stresses. Significant efforts have been ...

Abstract Objectives: To investigate the association of 1082G>A(RsaI) (rs1256049) and 1730A>G(AluI) (rs4986938) single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs), respectively- located on estrogen receptor beta (ESR2) gene with recurrent spontaneous abortion in chinese population. Methods: The study group consisted of 196 patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion and 182 fertile women as control. Two functional ...

Abstract The previous studies suggested that some subpopulations of T lymphocytes against CNS antigens, such as myelin basic protein (MBP), are neuroprotective. But there were few reports about the effect of these T cells on axon regeneration. In this study, the neonatally thymectomied (Tx) adult rats which contain few T ...

Nanosecond time-resolved infrared (TRIR) spectroscopy has been used to observe singlet thiobenzoylnitrene at 1740 cm(-1) upon photolysis of 5-phenyl-1,2,3,4-thiatriazole in acetonitrile and dichloromethane. Consistent with the experimental observations, thiobenzoylnitrene is predicted by B3LYP/6-31G* calculations to have a singlet ground state with an intense IR band at 1752 cm(-1). Phenyl isothiocyanate ...

Advances in hemodialysis (HD) techniques have increased the potential for drug removal. Quantifying drug clearance in clinical studies for all possible dialysis conditions is impractical, given the variability in dialysis conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the dialysis clearance (CL(D)) of vancomycin and gentamicin using in vitro ...

A new oxyiminopyrazole-based ytterbium chelate enables NIR emission upon UV excitation in colorless single layer luminescent solar concentrators for building integrated photovoltaics.

Polymersomes, self assembled from the block copolymer polybutadiene-block-poly(ethylene glycol), were prepared with well-defined diameters between 90 and 250 nm. The presence of ~1% of diethylene triamine penta acetic acid on the polymersome periphery allowed to chelate radioactive 111In onto the surface and determine the biodistribution in mice as a function ...

We have developed a correlation microscopy technique to follow the dynamics of quantum-dot labeled DNA within living cells. The temporal correlation functions of the labels reflect the fluctuations of the DNA nanoprobe as a result of its interactions with the cellular environment. They provide a sensitive measure for the length ...

Amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, has a well-described toxicity profile, and acute ingestions are common in the pediatric toxicology world.( 1 , 2 ) However, little can be found in the literature regarding chronic overdose. We describe a case of a 6-year-old girl who was prescribed amitriptyline 30 mg nightly for ...

Reaction of cyclic ketones with chiral N-alkyl-O-acyl hydroxylamines leads to the corresponding α-oxyacylated carbonyl compound in up to 89% ee. The levels of asymmetric induction were influenced by solvent polarity, acid strength and, to a lesser extent, temperature. Increasing the steric bulk around the nitrogen atom of the hydroxylamine reagent ...

Abstract Objective: Evidence indicates that metformin and pioglitazone both improve insulin resistance and hirsutism among patient with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). However, the effectiveness of pioglitazone versus metformin in the treatment of PCOS remains controversial. To summarize the relative efficacy of pioglitazone and metformin in PCOS patients, a systematic review ...

Oxidative stress may be affected by lead exposure as well as antioxidants, yet little is known about the interaction between dietary antioxidants and blood lead levels (BLL) on oxidative stress level. We investigated the interaction between dietary antioxidants and BLL on oxidative stress level. As part of the Biomarker Monitoring ...

The hafnium silicate and aluminum oxide high-k dielectrics were deposited on stainless steel substrate using atomic layer deposition process and octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and polystyrene (PS) were treated improve crystallinity of pentacene grown on them. Besides, the effects of the pentacene deposition condition on the morphologies, crystallinities and electrical properties of ...

Objective. We estimated trends in prescription medication costs in out-patients with type 1 diabetes by various stages of diabetic nephropathy (DN), before the development of end-stage renal disease, between 1995 and 2005. Methods. Patients with normo- (n = 1,334), micro- (n = 206), and macroalbuminuria (n = 365) were identified ...

As more and more clinical trials are conducted in developing countries, concerns arise about non-trial medical care available to study participants. Recent work argues for ancillary care - medical care not part of the clinical trial per se - to be formally incorporated into these studies. Although the provision of ...

The Gibbs free energy of mixing dissipated when fresh river water flows into the sea can be harnessed for sustainable power generation. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is one of the methods proposed to generate power from natural salinity gradients. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency ...

OBJECTIVE: A high prevalence of food insecurity has persisted in the USA for the past two decades. Previous studies suggest that the association between food insecurity and obesity may vary by gender and race/ethnicity. We examined whether food insecurity was associated with BMI and obesity within gender and racial/ethnic groups ...

AimTo explore general practitioners' (GPs) management of osteoarthritis (OA). BACKGROUND: OA represents a large burden on primary care. Little is known about GPs' current management of OA, especially influences on their prescribing quality care and the barriers they face while doing so. METHODS: A total of 1006 GPs were randomly ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the nutritional quality of lunchtime food consumption among elementary-school children on Prince Edward Island according to the source of food consumed (home v. school). DESIGN: Students completed a lunchtime food record during an in-class survey. Dietary adequacy was assessed by comparing median micronutrient intakes with one-third of ...

Abstract The pathology of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) is largely attributed to activated autoreactive effector T lymphocytes. The influence of microRNAs on the immune response has been shown to occur in different pathways of lymphocyte differentiation and function. Here the expression of the miRNAs miR-15a/16-1 in PBMC, CD4(+) and CD8(+) ...

We investigated postprandial changes in transcript abundance following a single satiating meal in juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) (about 70 g body mass) following fasting for 1 week at 12°C. The expression of twenty-three growth-related genes was determined in fast myotomal muscle using quantitative real-time PCR at the following postprandial ...

We reformulate the density fragment interaction (DFI) approach [Fujimoto and Yang, J. Chem. Phys., 2008, 129, 054102.] to achieve linear-scaling quantum mechanical calculations for large molecular systems. Two key approximations are developed to improve the efficiency of the DFI approach and thus enable the calculations for large molecules: the electrostatic ...

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes between women with placenta accreta and placenta increta or percreta. Methods: This was a single institution retrospective cohort study of women with abnormal placentation (placenta accreta, increta, and percreta) who delivered from 1982-2002. Cases ...