This article outlines a needs assessment process for developing or updating a therapeutic apheresis medicine (TAM) service. The TAM service brings together administrative, medical, laboratory, and pharmacy services. As these services jointly respond to needs assessment questions, the TAM service evolves. Discussions identifying patient populations impact the types of procedures ...

We investigated the folding of rectangular stimuli-responsive hydrogel-based polymer bilayers with different aspect ratios and relative thicknesses placed on a substrate. It was found that long-side rolling dominates at high aspect ratios (ratio of length to width) when the width is comparable to the circumference of the formed tubes, which ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular risk factors in a well-characterised cohort of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, and to compare this with the general population.METHODS: A cross-sectional study of the prevalence of CHD and cardiovascular risk factors in participants in the Australian Scleroderma Cohort ...

To analyse whether specific proteins in maternal serum and cervical length, alone or in combination, can predict the likelihood that women with intact membranes with threatened preterm labour will deliver spontaneously within 7 days of sampling. Cohort study. Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Women at between 22 and 33 weeks ...

Simulations using classical molecular dynamics are reported on the binding of the protein Ovocleidin-17 to calcite stepped surfaces. vicinal surfaces ({31.8} and {31.16}) are used to obtain acute and obtuse steps. The simulations demonstrate that binding is greater at the obtuse step. A range of analytical methods is used to ...

Herein, we present two methods for an asymmetric transfer hydrogenation through the dynamic kinetic resolution of α-amido-β-ketoesters. These procedures yield the corresponding anti-β-hydroxy-α-amido esters in good yields and with good diastereo- and enantioselectivities. First, the scope of the reduction of α-amido-β-ketoesters by using triethylammonium formate azeotrope is examined. Then, an ...

The general case of a heterogeneous electron-transfer reaction is realized by ultrafast electron transfer from a light-absorbing molecule to a wide continuum of electronic acceptor states, realizing the so-called wide band limit. Experimental data obtained for perylene dye/TiO(2) systems confirm the predictions of fully quantum mechanical model calculations of the ...

This research focuses on the overall extraction process of alkylresorcinols (ARs) from uncooked grains and baked products that have been processed with wheat, corn, rice, and white flour. Previously established extraction methods developed by Ross and colleagues, as well as a semi-automated method involving Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) were applied ...

Background: Propofol for colonoscopy is largely administered by anesthesiologists or anesthesiology nurses in the United States (US) and Europe. Endoscopist-directed administration of propofol (EDP) by nonanesthesiologists has recently been proposed, with potential savings of anesthetist reimbursement costs. We aimed to assess potential EDP-related benefit in a screening setting. Methods: In ...

Mesenchymal stem (or stromal) cells (MSCs) are non-hematopoietic progenitor cells that can be obtained from bone marrow aspirates or adipose tissue, expanded and genetically modified in vitro and then used for cancer therapeutic strategies in vivo. Here, we review available data regarding the application of mesenchymal stem cell-based tumor-targeted therapy ...

Context: Smoke inhalation injury is the leading cause of acute respiratory failure in critical burn victims. Advances in the treatment of smoke inhalation injury have been limited in the past years. To further explore the pathogenesis, stable and practical animal models are necessary. Objective: To develop a rat model of ...

Agents, such as beta-lapachone, that target the redox enzyme, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) to induce programmed necrosis in solid tumor cells have shown great promise, but more potent tumor-selective compounds are needed. Here, we report that deoxynyboquinone (DNQ) kills a wide spectrum of cancer cells in an NQO1-dependent manner with ...

The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma has steadily increased over the past 50 years in predominately fair-skinned populations. This increase is reported to have levelled off recently in several Northern and Western European countries, Australia and New Zealand and in North America. We studied the global patterns and time trends ...

Breathlessness on exertion is common in people with obesity. Assessments of breathlessness may include sensation (intensity, sensory quality or unpleasantness) and/ or the behavioral/emotional consequences of the sensation (respiratory-related functional impairment, disability or quality of life). This systematic review of primary studies published since 2005 evaluated how has the sensation ...

BACKGROUND: Children undergoing major surgery can develop lung de-recruitment and gas exchange impairment in the post-operative period. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of periodic sigh breaths (Sighs) during pressure support ventilation (PSV) on gas exchange and respiratory pattern in children after major surgery. METHODS: 20 ...

Prenatal alcohol exposure can result in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Not all women who consume alcohol during pregnancy have children with FASD and studies have shown that genetic factors can play a role in ethanol teratogenesis. We examined gene expression in embryos and placentae from C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J ...

Murine protein serine-threonine kinase 38 (MPK38) is a member of the AMP-activated protein kinase-related serine/threonine kinase family. In this study, we show that MPK38 physically associates with p53 via the carboxyl-terminal domain of MPK38 and the central DNA-binding domain of p53. This interaction is increased by 5-fluorouracil or doxorubicin treatment ...

AIMS: We evaluated the distribution and composition of atherosclerotic plaques at bifurcations with intravascular ultrasound-virtual histology (IVUS-VH) and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in relation to the bifurcation angle (BA). METHODS AND RESULTS: In 33 patients (age 63 ± 11 years, 79% male) imaged with IVUS-VH and MDCT, 33 bifurcations were ...

Nontoxic cyanide source: An unprecedented route to acrylonitriles by employing propargylic alcohols and para-tolylsulfonohydrazide as a combined cyano source has been developed. This efficient and practical cyanation reaction proceeds through an FeCl(3) -catalyzed domino propargylic substitution/aza-Meyer-Schuster rearrangement sequence, the rearrangement process of which is reported for the first time.

Follicular atresia is primarily induced by granulosa cell apoptosis, but description of the apoptotic pathway in granulosa cells is incomplete. In this study, we explored the possibility that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress could be involved in granulosa cell apoptosis during goat follicular atresia. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that DNA damage-inducible transcript ...

History and admission findings: A 51-year-old woman presented with right upper abdominal discomfort for three weeks. Her medical history revealed a lower abdominal gynecological laparoscopy and an ileocaecal resection 7 years ago.Investigations: Blood samples including liver enzymes were within normal limits. An upper abdominal ultrasound failed to reveal a gallbladder. ...

Multidrug resistance in cancer is a major cause of failure in cancer chemotherapy. In search of new compounds with strong reversal activity and simple molecular structure, we have synthesized a series of compounds in which different substituents were linked to the 2-position of the 6,7-dimethoxy-1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)- tetrahydroisoquinoline system. Compounds were analyzed ...

A 2-Dimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship has been performed on 2 series of hepatitis C virus (HCV) inhibitors, i.e., Isothiazoles and Thiazolones. In each case significant correlations are found between the anti-HCV potencies and some physicochemical, electronic and steric properties of the compounds, indicating that for the first series the activity ...

We compared the reproducibility of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry-based peptide quantitation in tryptic digests from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and frozen clear cell renal cell carcinoma tissues. The analyses targeted a candidate set of 114 peptides previously identified in shotgun proteomic analyses, of which 104 were detectible in FFPE ...

Activity-guided fractionation of a petroleum ether-soluble extract of the roots of Onosma paniculata, which has been shown to affect the cell cycle and to induce apoptosis in melanoma cells, led to the isolation of several shikonin derivatives, namely, β-hydroxyisovalerylshikonin (1), acetylshikonin (2), dimethylacrylshikonin (3), and a mixture of α-methylbutyrylshikonin and ...

Family-based approaches to pediatric obesity treatment are considered the 'gold-standard,' and are recommended for facilitating behavior change to improve child weight status and health. If family-based approaches are to be truly rooted in the family, clinicians and researchers must consider family process and function in designing effective interventions. To bring ...

OBJECTIVES: Several clinical studies have suggested the adipocytokine adiponectin is involved in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). From this point of view, adiponectin might present a new therapeutic target. However, as adiponectin also exerts beneficial effects in the human organism, a strategy that would allow its detrimental effects to ...

Hydrogen cyanide is considered as an important precursor to amino acids and nucleic acids and its polymers could have profound implications for prebiotic chemistry. Several structures of HCN polymers are speculated, but these structures are disparate both chemically as well as structurally. Here we employ solution-state NMR spectroscopy to investigate ...

We herein report on the formation and high-resolution NMR solution-state structure determination of a G-quadruplex adopted by d[G(3)ATG(3)ACACAG(4)ACG(3)] comprised of four G-tracts with the third one consisting of four guanines that are intervened with non-G streches of different lengths. A single intramolecular antiparallel (3+1) G-quadruplex exhibits three stacked G-quartets connected ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: White clover (Trifolium repens) is a ubiquitous weed of the temperate world that through use of improved cultivars has also become the most important legume of grazed pastures world-wide. It has long been suspected to be allotetraploid, but the diploid ancestral species have remained elusive. Putative diploid ancestors ...

The recurrence and prognostic assessment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after resection is an important clinical issue. The present study investigated those genes associated with high serum AFP, and their clinical significance including prognosis and recurrence after hepatectomy. Based on gene expression analysis of 110 training HCC cases, twenty ...

Pontocerebellar hypoplasia consists of a rare heterogeneous group of congenital neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by hypoplasia and atrophy of the cerebellar cortex, dentate and pontine nuclei, and inferior olives. The very low density lipoprotein receptor protein is an integral part of the reelin signaling pathway, which guides neuroblast migration in the ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate for adverse outcomes associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) following an apparent life-threatening event (ALTE) and potential risk factors of these outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of well-appearing infants (<12 months) admitted for ALTE. Patients were followed for adverse outcomes associated with GERD (including aspiration pneumonia, ...

OBJECTIVES: Garenoxacin, a des-fluoro(6)-quinolone, exhibits potent activity against Mycoplasma pneumoniae, including macrolide-resistant strains. There has been no report on the inhibitory activity of garenoxacin against the target enzyme of M. pneumoniae. METHODS: Subunits of DNA gyrase (GyrA and GyrB) proteins of M. pneumoniae FH were separately expressed as His-tagged proteins ...

Objective: The purpose was to examine the inter-rater reliability of the Nottingham Neurological Driving Assessment.Participants: Six drivers with dementia (mean age 78 years, 5 men).Interventions: Participants were assessed for their safety to drive on a set route while being observed by two driving assessors, who were experienced in assessing safety ...

A series of mono, bis and mixed Schiff bases (1-7) were synthesised and evaluated for potential anti-glycation and anti-oxidant activities using the bovine serum albumin - glucose assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical assay respectively. All compounds showed significant (p < 0.05) antiglycating activities with IC50 values (4.02 ×10-24 ± ...

OBJECTIVES: Seizure threshold in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is defined as the smallest dose of electrical stimulus that produces a generalized seizure of at least 25 to 30 seconds as recorded by electroencephalography. Seizure thresholds vary considerably, with some patients demonstrating an exceptionally high initial seizure threshold. This case report describes ...

No information exists regarding immune responses to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the foreskin or glans of the human penis, although this is a key tissue for HIV transmission. To address this gap, we characterized antiviral immune responses in foreskin of male rhesus macaques (RMs) inoculated with simian immunodeficiency ...

Diagnostic findings of mediastinal metastasis are an important factor for the prognosis of and therapy for lung cancer. In this retrospective study we examined the role of endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS) and mediastinoscopy (MS) in patients with confirmed lung cancer. Between 01 /2009 and 07 /2011 we ...

BACKGROUND: Applying the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative definitions of chronic kidney disease (CKD), it appears that CKD is common. The increased recognition of CKD has brought with it the clinical challenge of translating into practice the implications for the patient and for service planning. To understand the clinical relevance ...

Background: Implantation of a metallic prosthesis creates local stiffness with a subsequent mismatch in the compliance of the vessel wall, disturbances in flow and heterogeneous distribution of wall shear stress. Polymeric bioresorbable ABSORB scaffolds have less stiffness than metallic platform stents. We sought to analyze the mismatch in vascular compliance ...

1. We tested the hypotheses that feeding guild structure of beetle assemblages changed with different arboreal microhabitats and that these differences were consistent across rainforest tree species. 2. Hand collection and beating techniques were used from the gondola of the Australian Canopy Crane to collect beetles from five microhabitats (mature leaves, flush ...

Glucose transporter 1 facilitates glucose transport across the blood-brain barrier. By increasing histone acetylation at the SLC2A1 promotor, valproic acid could increase SLC2A1 gene expression. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of valproic acid on glucose transport in astrocyte cultures derived from SLC2A1 heterozygous mice. Primary astrocyte cultures ...

Imaging of individual protein molecules at the single amino acid level has so far not been possible due to the incompatibility of proteins with the vacuum environment necessary for high-resolution scanning probe microscopy. Here we demonstrate electrospray ion beam deposition of selectively folded and unfolded cytochrome c protein ions on ...

Tribocharged polymers display macroscopically patterned positive and negative domains, verifying the fractal geometry of electrostatic mosaics previously detected by electric probe microscopy. Excess charge on contacting polyethylene (PE) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) follows the triboelectric series but with one caveat: net charge is the arithmetic sum of patterned positive and negative ...

The goal of this study is to elaborate few-micron thick optically active coatings based on nanoparticles spray-deposited onto a substrate and to control their scattering properties through a progressive suppression of the coffee-ring effect. The modification of the aggregation state of the nanoparticles to be sprayed induces a change of ...

Estrogen (ER) and androgen (AR) receptors may be expressed in thyroid tumors, but their prognostic role is controversial. We investigated whether ERs and AR expression could confer a more aggressive phenotype to thyroid tumors. We enrolled 91 patients (13 males and 78 females, mean age 49.3 ± 14.8) bearing small ...

Two series of compounds with the general formula of 4,6-diaryl-2-oxo-1,2 dihydropyridine-3-carbonitriles and their isosteric imino derivatives were synthesized through a one pot reaction of acetophenone, aldehyde and ammonium acetate with ethyl cyanoacetate or malononitrile, respectively. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for tumor cell growth inhibitory using the human HT-29 colon ...

OBJECTIVES: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been established as an effective method in the treatment of severe depressive or psychotic disorders. Its efficacy is greatest in severe major depressive disorder (MDD) with or without psychotic symptoms. However, maintaining remission after a successful course of short-term ECT is often difficult owing to ...

OBJECTIVE: There is a paucity of information about repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a treatment for adolescent depression, and there are no data about its long-term effectiveness and safety in this age group. The aim of this study was to evaluate symptoms of depression and cognitive functioning in young ...