STUDY DESIGN.: Randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE.: To assess whether monitoring increases brace-wearing compliance in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.: Noncompliance is a barrier to brace treatment of AIS. Studies have demonstrated that monitoring improves medication compliance; however, this has not been investigated in spinal braces. ...

We report a novel cleaning technique for graphene by using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) of Ar with an extremely low plasma density of 3.5108 cm-3. It is known that conventional capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) treatments destroy the planar symmetry of graphene, giving rise to the generation of defects. However, ICP ...

Nine fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) isolated from chickens with inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) in Japan from 2009 to 2010 were characterized serologically and genetically. These isolates were all neutralized by antisera against the SR-48 strain (FAdV-2). Phylogenetic analysis based on the part of the hexon gene that included the L1 region ...

This study assessed the quality of care provided by community health workers (CHWs) in managing cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) according to a treatment algorithm. A mixed methods approach was employed to provide perspectives on different aspects of quality of care, including technical competence and acceptability to caretakers. CHWs ...

(1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) resonances from lipids in tumours are associated with tumour grade and treatment response. The origin of these NMR signals is mainly considered to be cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs). Techniques exist for isolating LDs but little is known about their composition and its relationship to ...

The first 3d-4f-5d heterotrimetallic complexes using [W(V)(bipy)(CN)(6)](-) as a metalloligand were synthesized (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine). The structural and magnetic properties of three [Cu(II)Ln(III)W(V)] complexes (Ln = Gd, Ho, Tb) are discussed.

INTRODUCTION: Quality and integrity of RNA are critical for transcription studies in plant molecular biology. In squash fruit and other high water content crops, the grinding of tissue with mortar and pestle in liquid nitrogen fails to produce a homogeneous and fine powered sample desirable to ensure a good penetration ...

We propose the use of a retrieval procedure for time-resolved near-infrared tissue spectroscopy based on the 'optimal estimation' method. The aim of this retrieval method is to obtain an improved estimate of the target parameters compared with standard nonlinear least-squares routines, since the inverse problem dedicated to retrieve the optical ...

The study presents the epidemiological features of patients treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Serbia from 1997 to 2009 and compares the results of hemodialysis treatment in 1999 and 2009. Epidemiological data were obtained from the National Registry of RRT patients and data on hemodialysis treatment from special surveys ...

We report on two additional cases of metformin-associated encephalopathy in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis. Two patients were seen at our hospital with abnormal neurological signs and symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the same pattern of high signal intensity in both basal ganglia in T2-weighted images ...

Summary  To investigate the effect of restriction of mandibular movements during sleep on jaw-muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity. Eleven healthy subjects (four men and seven women; age, 25·9 ± 3·1 years) with self-reports of sleep bruxism participated in three randomised sessions with three different types of oral appliances: (i) full-arch maxillary and mandibular appliances ...

For the first time, propagation rate coefficients, k(p,COPO) , for the copolymerizations of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropene have been determined. The kinetic data was determined via pulsed-laser polymerization in conjunction with polymer analysis via size-exclusion chromatography, the PLP-SEC technique. The experiments were carried out in homogeneous phase with supercritical CO(2) ...

Laboratory receiver operating characteristic (ROC) studies, that are often used to evaluate medical imaging systems, differ from 'live' clinical interpretations in several respects which could compromise their clinical relevance. The aim was to develop methodology for quantifying the clinical relevance of a laboratory ROC study. A simulator was developed to ...

Organic and printed electronics technologies require conductors with a work function that is sufficiently low to facilitate the transport of electrons in and out of various optoelectronic devices. We show that surface modifiers based on polymers containing simple aliphatic amine groups substantially reduce the work function of conductors including metals, ...

A multi-joystick robotic laser microscope system used to control two optical traps (tweezers) and one laser scissors has been developed for subcellular organelle manipulation. The use of joysticks has provided a "user-friendly" method for both trapping and cutting of organelles such as chromosomes in live cells. This innovative design has ...

Levels of kynurenic acid (KYNA), an endogenous product of tryptophan degradation, are elevated in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid of individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). This increase has been implicated in the cognitive dysfunctions seen in the disease, as KYNA is an antagonist of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and the ...

Background: Our previous retrospective study showed that benidipine was superior to amlodipine (AM) for reducing proteinuria and preserving the augmentation index (AI) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: The present study enrolled CKD patients whose blood pressure was not well controlled by an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) and ...

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with core sizes below 2 nm and compact ligand shells constitute versatile platforms for the development of novel reagents in nanomedicine. Due to their ultrasmall size, these AuNPs are especially attractive in applications requiring delivery to crowded intracellular spaces in the cytosol and nucleus. For eventual use ...

A novel nanophotonic method for enhancing the two-photon fluorescence signal of a fluorophore is presented. It utilizes the second harmonic (SH) of the exciting light generated by noble metal nanospheres in whose near-field the dye molecules are placed, to further enhance the dye's fluorescence signal in addition to the usual ...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and scavenging in plants under drought stress have been studied intensively in recent years. Here we report a global analysis of gene expression for the major ROS generating and scavenging proteins in alfalfa root and shoot under gradual drought stress followed by one-day recovery. Data ...

A novel, efficient and environment friendly technology is used in cornstalk cooking, active oxygen (O2 and H2O2) cooking with solid alkali (MgO). After the cooking, the milled wood lignin (MWL) in raw material and pulp, the water soluble and insoluble lignin in yellow liquor, were all characterized by attenuated total ...

Nitrification of excess ammonia in soil causes eutrophication of water resources and emission of atmospheric N(2) O gas. The first step of nitrification, ammonia oxidation, is mediated by Archaea as well as Bacteria. The physiological reactions mediated by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and their contribution to soil nitrification are still unclear. ...

Ammosamide D (1), an oxidized analog of the ammosamide family, was isolated from a marine-derived Streptomyces variabilis. Pyrroloquinoline containing alkaloids are a growing class of natural products, with 1 being the first example of an oxidized analog resulting in a 5,6-dioxo-5,6-dihydroquinoline ring system. Attempts at chemical conversion of ammosamide B ...

Background/Aims: To examine, compare and correlate the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in appendiceal tissue and pre- and postoperative blood samples in patients undergoing surgery for clinically suspected appendicitis. Methods: Fifty-seven patients with complete tissue and ...

The way Cambodian patients and health professionals judge the priority of HIV-infected patients in relation to the allocation of antiretroviral drugs was examined. Participants were either HIV-infected patients attending the HIV/AIDS Care and Support Centre for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Phnom Penh (29 females and 21 males) or members ...

A detailed understanding of the mechanisms that underlie antibiotic killing is important for the derivation of new classes of antibiotics and clinically useful adjuvants for current antimicrobial therapies. Our efforts to understand why DinB (DNA polymerase IV) overproduction is cytotoxic to Escherichia coli led to the unexpected insight that oxidation ...

Background  The importance of a partnership between parents and professionals in the support of children with disabilities is widely acknowledged and is one of the key elements of 'family-centred care'. To what extent family-centred principles are also applied to the support of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) ...

Bromelain has been used for treatment of inflammatory diseases for decades. However, the exact mechanism of action remains poorly understood. While in vitro investigations have shown conflicting effects on the release of various cytokines, no in vivo data were available. In this study, the effects on inflammation-related cytokines of two ...

Lower-extremity injury is common in soccer. A number of studies have begun to assess why specific lower-extremity injuries occur. However, currently few studies have examined how footwear affects lower-extremity mechanics. In order to address this question, 14 male (age: 22.1 ± 3.9 years, height: 1.77 ± 0.06 m, and mass: 73.3 ± 11.5 kg) and 14 female (age: ...

Two "click" binaphthyl chiral stationary phases were synthesized and evaluated by liquid chromatography. Their structures incorporate S-(-)-1,1'-binaphthyl moiety as the chiral selector and 1,2,3-triazole ring as the spacer. These chiral stationary phases (CSPs) allowed the efficient resolution for a wide range of racemic BINOL derivatives, particularly for nonpolar diether derivatives ...

We report data from two left hemisphere stroke patients with moderate-to-severe ideomotor apraxia who exhibited deficits in positioning their hands to use 'conflict' objects (objects grasped and used with different hand postures) relative to controls and patients with mild apraxia. These novel data support the claim that actions to common ...

BACKGROUND: In NSW, around 30% of women experience a caesarean section. Anecdotally, few receive consistent information regarding driving after a caesarean delivery. AIMS: The aims were to determine the information provided to women following caesarean section and by whom it was given, and compare this with women's actual driving behaviour. ...

An efficient and controllable approach to prepare cross-linked films from a conjugated polymer precursor by electrochemical deposition (ED) is reported for the first time. A novel polymer precursor with high solubility, high electroactivity, and electron-transport ability has been designed. The electrochemically deposited polymer film shows high thickness, smooth morphology, and ...

We have previously shown that a recombinant human PTH fragment, Pro-Pro-[Arg11] hPTH (1-34)-Pro-Pro-Asp (hPTH'), could be a potentially better and more cost-effective therapeutic agent than PTH (1-34) on osteoporosis. In this report, we characterized the solution conformations of hPTH' by NMR spectroscopy and modeled the interactions between the hPTH' and ...

The heat stress (HS) response in eukaryotes is mainly regulated by heat shock factors (HSFs). Genetic disruption of the master HSF gene leads to dramatically reduced HS response and thermotolerance in several model organisms. However, it is not clear whether organisms devoid of the master regulator can still acclimate to ...

Scand J Caring Sci; 2012 Partner relationships and long-term sick leave among female workers: consequences and impact on dimensions of health and return to work Few efforts have been made to prospectively identify resources and obstacles outside work that may predict regained work ability and return to work when workers ...

The fabrication of functional thin films and devices by direct deposition of nanoparticles from the gas phase is a promising approach enabling, for instance, the integration of complex analytical and sensing capabilities on microfabricated platforms. Aerosol-based techniques ensure large-scale nanoparticle production and they are potentially suited for this goal. However, ...

Abstract The insulin receptor (IR) recruits adaptor proteins, so-called insulin receptor substrates (IRS), to connect with downstream signalling pathways. A family of IRS proteins was defined based on three major common structural elements: Amino-terminal PH and PTB domains that mediate protein-lipid or protein-protein interactions, mostly carboxy-terminal multiple tyrosine residues that ...

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are uncommon soft tissue tumors of neural derivation, as supported by immunohistochemical and ultrastructural evidence. Vulvar involvement has been reported in 7-16%. This paper presents the cases of a 60-year-old woman and her 32-year-old niece with a strong family history of cancer, both presenting with an ...

BACKGROUND: Explicit criteria for potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) developed from other regions were often difficult to apply to a specific territory without significant modifications. PURPOSE: To describe a process of developing a country-specific explicit PIM criteria from quality review of several published PIM criteria, followed by consensus among regional experts ...

Ceruloplasmin contains 95% of the copper in human serum and plays an important role in iron efflux from mammalian cells, including brain cells, due to the activity of ferroxidase, which oxidizes ferrous iron following its transfer to the cell surface via the iron transporter, ferroportin, and delivers ferric iron to ...

ABSTRACT: Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) C-strain "Riems" escape variants generated under selective antibody pressure with monoclonal antibodies and a peptide-specific antiserum in cell culture were investigated. Candidates with up to three amino acid exchanges in the immunodominant and highly conserved linear TAV-epitope of the E2-glycoprotein and additional mutations in ...

SUMMARY AT A GLANCE: This cross-sectional study of a South African dialysis cohort shows a relatively low prevalence of coronary artery and aortic calcification likely related to the younger age of patients. The main finding though is the significantly lower degree of vascular calcification in black patients compared to whites, ...

Background/Aims: Drooling or sialorrhea is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), and is reported by 35-75% of patients. Drooling is primarily due to impaired swallowing rather than hypersecretion of saliva. In this study, we examined the prevalence of drooling in PD and its relation to various factors such ...

Geochemistry often reveals unexpected (anti)correlations. Arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) are cases in point. We explore the hypothesis that bacteria living in an As-replete environment recruited a biological process involving Se and sulfur to fulfil their need for As detoxification. In analogy with the formation of arsenolipids and arsenosugars, which ...

Differential phase-contrast interior tomography allows reconstruction of a refractive index distribution over a region of interest (ROI) for visualization and analysis of structures inside a large biological specimen. In the imaging mode, x-ray scanning only targets an ROI in an object and a narrow beam passes through the object, allowing ...

A novel scan trajectory for high-speed scanning probe microscopy is presented in which the probe follows a two-dimensional Lissajous pattern. The Lissajous pattern is generated by actuating the scanner with two single-tone harmonic waveforms of constant frequency and amplitude. Owing to the extremely narrow frequency spectrum, high imaging speeds can ...

GaN nanowires oriented along the nonpolar a-axis were analyzed using pulsed laser atom probe tomography (APT). Stoichiometric mass spectra were achieved by optimizing the temperature, applied dc voltage, and laser pulse energy. Local variations in the measured stoichiometry were observed and correlated with facet polarity using scanning electron microscopy. Fewer ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography have been used simultaneously in this ex vivo study for the image-guidance of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment in moving tissue. A ventilator-driven balloon produced periodic and non-rigid (i.e. breathing-like) motion patterns in phantoms. MR-compatible ultrasound (US) imaging enabled near real-time 2D motion ...

The phosphorescence double ratiometric sensor detects Cr(III) ions by taking advantages of the reversible coordination binding and the biomimetic oxidation reaction.