Background  Individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) continue to experience major obstacles towards social, educational and vocational integration. Negative attitudes toward persons with ID has remained relevant over time and has led to discrimination and stigma. Objective  The present study describes the development of a new questionnaire for tapping into ...

Film-forming lotions, pre-cast films and adhesive patches were standardized and prepared for episodic transdermal delivery of testosterone (T). Different formulations exhibited composition-dependent extent of drug release and periodicity in in vitro. Whereas intravenously-administered T decayed exponentially, three maxima of T in serum were observed upon application of lotions or patches ...

Weight loss after bariatric surgery reduces cardiac risk and morbidity. We examined weight loss effects on arterial stiffness in morbidly obese subjects, in relation to cytokines, circulating and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT)-based immune cells and gene expression. Obese subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) ...

Recently, interest in untargeted metabolomics has become prevalent in the general scientific community among an increasing number of investigators. The majority of these investigators, however, do not have the bioinformatic expertise that has been required to process metabolomic data by using command-line driven software programs. Here we introduce a novel ...

Rph20 is the only reported, simply inherited gene conferring moderate to high levels of adult plant resistance (APR) to leaf rust (Puccinia hordei Otth) in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Key parental genotypes were examined to determine the origin of Rph20 in two-rowed barley. The Dutch cultivar 'Vada' (released in the ...

INTRODUCTION: Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail apparatus that affects 10 - 30% of the global population. Current therapeutic options for onychomycosis have a low to moderate efficacy and result in a 20 - 25% rate of relapse and reinfection. New therapeutic options are needed to broaden the ...

R-Ras2/TC21 is a GTPase with high sequence and signaling similarity with Ras subfamily members. Although it has been extensively studied using overexpression studies in cell lines, its physiological role remains poorly characterized. Here we used RRas2-knockout mice expressing β-galactosidase under the regulation of the endogenous RRas2 promoter to investigate the ...

Mannose-capped lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM) is a complex lipoglycan abundantly present in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell envelope. Many biological properties have been ascribed to ManLAM, from directly interacting with the host and participating in the intracellular survival of M. tuberculosis, to triggering innate and adaptive immune responses, including the activation of CD1b-restricted ...

Interindividual variation in pharmacodynamic (PD) response to drugs is an ongoing area of research for drugs in clinical development, pre- and postapproval. To characterize how pharmacogenomic (PG) variations can serve as a predictor of differences in PD outcomes, the pharmaceutical industry has incorporated PG/PD analysis into clinical drug development. The ...

Background Interventions based on physical activity are of proven efficacy as adjunctive interventions in mental health, but less is known about how these benefits come about. Aims This review summarises the qualitative research on the perspectives of service users so as to shed light on possible psychological and social mechanisms ...

In the field of human mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) research, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the method of choice to study changes in gene expression patterns upon differentiation, application of stimuli or of factors such as inhibitors or siRNAs. In order to reliably detect small changes, the ...

Campylobacter (Campy; BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD), Spectra VRE (Remel, Lenexa, KS), and bile-esculin-azide-vancomycin (BEAV; Remel) agars were compared for their ability to detect vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in 750 stool specimens. The media were compared at 24 h and 48 h of incubation at 35°C and 42°C. When incubated for 24 ...

Concerns about metabolic complications often disturb prolonged use of diuretics in Japan. We investigated 3-year safety and efficacy in Japanese patients with hypertension who were uncontrolled with angiotensin receptor blocker or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor regimens and then switched to losartan (50 mg)/hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg; HCTZ) combinations. Blood pressure decreased favorably ...

Drug craving critically depends on the function of the interoceptive insular cortex, and may be triggered by contextual cues. However, the role of the insula in the long-term memory linking context with drug craving remains unknown. Such a memory trace probably resides in some neocortical region, much like other declarative ...

Mild chemical processes of various analytes and detection methods involving revolutionary strategies in the fields of analytical chemistry, biology and environmental sciences have been extensively developed. This critical review focuses on representative examples of mild chemical processes that can be used in fluorescent chemodosimeters for ion sensing (anions and cations). ...

Farming is the basis of our civilization yet is more damaging to wild nature than any other sector of human activity. Here, we propose that in order to limit its impact into the future, conservation researchers and practitioners need to address several big topics--about the scale of future demand, about ...

Renal injury induced by brain death is characterized by ischemia and inflammation, and limiting it is a therapeutic goal that could improve outcomes in kidney transplantation. Brain death resulted in decreased circulating nitrite levels and increased infiltrating inflammatory cell infiltration into the kidney. Since nitrite stimulates nitric oxide signaling in ...

PURPOSE: To retrospectively assess the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of vesicouterine fistula (VUF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2003 and January 2011, 12 patients with a diagnosis of VUF were surgically managed at our center; among them, eight patients had MRI among their preoperative radiological ...

AIMS: Pocket-size echographs may be useful for bedside diagnosis in acute cardiac care, but their diagnostic accuracy in this setting has not been well tested. Our aim was to evaluate this tool in patients requiring an urgent echocardiogram. METHODS: Trained cardiologists performed echocardiograms with a pocket-size echograph (Vscan) in consecutive ...

Background: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations have been recently described in various tumors; however, data focusing on bladder cancer are scarce. To understand the significance of mtDNA mutations in bladder cancer development, we investigated the mtDNA alterations in bladder cancer cases. Methods: We studied the mtDNA in 38 bladder tumors and ...

The solvation of CO2 in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (Bmim Ac) has been investigated by 1H, 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy at low CO2 molar fraction (xCO2 c.a. 0.27) corresponding to the reactive regime described in part I of this study. It is shown that a carboxylation reaction occurs between CO2 and ...

FXYD proteins are a group of short single-span transmembrane proteins that interact with the Na(+)/K(+) ATPase and modulate its kinetic properties. This study characterizes intracellular trafficking of two FXYD family members, FXYD1 (phospholemman (PLM)) and FXYD7. Surface expression of PLM in Xenopus oocytes requires coexpression with the Na(+)/K(+) ATPase. On ...

In geologic carbon sequestration, while part of the injected carbon dioxide will dissolve into host brine, some will remain as neat to water saturated super critical CO2 (scCO2) near the well bore and at the caprock, especially in the short-term life cycle of the sequestration site. Little is known about ...

Impact craters are the most obvious indication of asteroid impacts, but craters on Earth are quickly obscured or destroyed by surface weathering and tectonic processes. Earth's impact history is inferred therefore either from estimates of the present-day impactor flux as determined by observations of near-Earth asteroids, or from the Moon's ...

This 24 month study evaluated the effect of dietitian coaching combined with minimal endocrinologist follow up on the glycemic control and cardiovascular risks of diabetic participants, compared with conventional endocrinologist follow up. Participants with type 1 or type 2 diabetes were assigned to either the control group with conventional endocrinologist ...

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of mannitol crystallization and the effect of annealing on the stability of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) during freeze-drying. For this purpose, protein formulations with different weight ratios of mannitol to sucrose were freeze-dried with and without annealing. Product crystallinity was calculated ...

Many patients experience difficulties in adhering to long-term treatment. Although patients' reasons for not being adherent are diverse, one of the most commonly reported barriers is forgetfulness. Reminding patients to take their medication may provide a solution. Electronic reminders (automatically sent reminders without personal contact between the healthcare provider and ...

Spinal muscular atrophies (SMAs) are hereditary disorders characterized by degeneration of lower motor neurons. Different SMA types are clinically and genetically heterogeneous and many of them show significant phenotypic overlap. We recently described the clinical phenotype of a new disease in two Finnish families with a unique autosomal dominant late-onset ...

The work in this paper describes the implementation of a biochemical and biophysical screening strategy to identify and optimize small molecule Akt1 inhibitors that act through a mechanism distinct from that observed for kinase domain ATP-competitive inhibitors. With the aid of an un-phosphorylated Akt1 co-crystal structure of 12j solved at ...

A diastereo- and enantiocontrolled preparation of the conformationally restricted cis-β-azidocyclopropane esters have been developed. The Rh(2)(S-DOSP)(4) was found to be an efficient catalyst in hexane for the cyclopropanation of azido alkenes with diazo esters, and 19 cis-β-azidocyclopropane esters were prepared in excellent yields. The value of the diastereomer ratio was ...

Background Video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy (VATS) is the gold standard for patients with hyperhidrosis of the upper limbs. The primary aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the midterm outcome and the degree of satisfaction of patients who underwent single-port VATS.Methods Forty three patients diagnosed with hyperhidrosis underwent T3, T4 ...

A single-chain variable fragment (scFv) linked alkaline phosphatase (AP) fusion protein for detection of O,O-diethyl organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) was produced and characterized. The scFv gene was prepared by cloning VL and VH genes from hybridoma cells secreting monoclonal antibody with broad-specificity for O,O-diethyl OPs. The amplified VL and VH regions ...

Genetic diseases and congenital anomalies are the second most common cause of infant mortality in Brazil. In 2009, the Ministry of Health established the National Policy for Integral Attention in Clinical Genetics in the Brazilian Unified National Health System (UNHS). This policy is not yet regulated, and there is a ...

OBJECTIVES: Mucormycetes (formerly known as zygomycetes of the order Mucorales) and hyaline moulds such as those of the genus Fusarium or Paecilomyces are emerging as significant human pathogens. The aim of the study was to determine the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of these fungi to older and newer antifungals and ...

We have previously reported de novo lymphangiogenesis in human renal allograft nephrectomy specimens that exhibited interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA). This study examined whether a similar pathology developed in an experimental model of renal transplantation in the rat. Renal transplants were carried out in rats comprising both isografts (Lewis ...

Caveolins act as scaffold proteins in multiprotein complexes and have been implicated in signaling by G protein-coupled receptors. Studies using knock-out mice suggest that β(3)-adrenoceptor (β(3)-AR) signaling is dependent on caveolin-1; however, it is not known whether caveolin-1 is associated with the β(3)-AR or solely with downstream signaling proteins. We ...

Group A streptococcal (GAS) infections and autoimmunity are associated with the onset of a spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders in children, with the prototypical disorder being Sydenham chorea (SC). Our aim was to develop an animal model that resembled the behavioral, pharmacological, and immunological abnormalities of SC and other streptococcal-related neuropsychiatric ...

ObjectiveInfraspinatus syndrome (IS) results from injury to the suprascapular nerve. For reasons that are poorly understood, volleyball players are at greater risk of developing IS than are athletes who compete in other overhead sports. Differences between the shoulder kinematics of volleyball-related overhead skills and those skills demanded by other overhead ...

Functionalization (oxygen addition) and fragmentation (carbon loss) reactions governing secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from the OH oxidation of alkane precursors were studied in a flow reactor in the absence of NOx. SOA precursors were <italic>n</italic>-decane (<italic>n</italic>-C₁₀), <italic>n</italic>-pentadecane (n-C₁₅), <italic>n</italic>-heptadecane (<italic>n</italic>-C₁₇), tricyclo[5.2.1.0^2,6]decane (JP-10), and vapors of diesel fuel and Southern ...

A catalyst-free protocol has been developed for amidation of alkyl aromatics and aldehydes using TsNBr(2)via a nitrene transfer process in the presence of a base in excellent yield within a short time. The reaction was found to be selective for secondary and tertiary benzylic C-H bonds and C-H bonds of ...

PURPOSE: Uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) is a poorly understood cancer with few effective treatments. This study explores the molecular events involved in ULMS with the goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Genome-wide transcriptional profiling, Western blot and real-time PCR were used to compare specimens of myometrium, leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. ...

In order to 1) establish the biological systematics necessary to interpret nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) isotope ratios of nitrate (¹⁵N/¹⁴N and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O) in the environment and 2) investigate the potential for isotopes to elucidate the mechanism of a key N cycle enzyme, we measured the nitrate N and O ...

The purpose of this prospective, ethnographic study was to describe and analyze the care of residents with dementia in an assisted living facility (ALF) providing dementia care. Participant observation and interviews with 20 employees were used to obtain data. Data were collected and analyzed over a period of 6 months. ...

Drought is responsible for considerable yield losses in agriculture due to its detrimental effects on growth. Drought responses have been extensively studied, but mostly on the level of complete plants or mature tissues. However, stress responses were shown to be highly tissue and developmental stage specific, and dividing tissues have ...

The direct conversion of a Mn^III complex ((TBP₈Cz)Mn^III, <bold>1</bold>) to an Mn^V-oxo complex ((TBP₈Cz)Mn^V(O), <bold>2</bold>) with O₂ and visible light is reported. Complex <bold>1</bold> is also shown to function as an active photocatalyst for the oxidation of PPh₃ to OPPh₃. Mechanistic studies indicate that the photogeneration of <bold>2</bold> does not ...

A 47-year-old female underwent interventional patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure with an Amplatzer septal occluder (AGA Medical Corporation, USA). After 48 hours of implantation, she experienced intermittent pulse synchronous retrosternal pain. Subsequently, device-associated compression of the aortic root was diagnosed. Occluder retrieval and surgical PFO-closure was accomplished successfully via minimal ...

Objective: The genetic mutations causing the constitutive activation of MEK/ERK have been regarded as an initiating factor in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The ERK-specific dual specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) is part of the ERK-dependent transcriptional output. Therefore, the coordinated regulation of the activities of ERK kinases and DUSP6 may need ...

Exposure was assessed for a cohort of 6409 workers at a former uranium processing facility as part of a mortality study. Workers at the facility had potential for exposure to a wide variety of radiological and chemical agents including uranium, thorium, radon, external ionizing radiation, acid mists, asbestos, and various ...

Background  Cortisol is a marker of physiological arousal, exhibiting a characteristic pattern of diurnal activity. The daily cortisol profile has been examined extensively and is atypical in a number of clinical disorders. However, there are very few studies focussing on the cortisol profile in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). This ...

Few studies have examined stroke risk in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Stroke incidence, predictors, and survival were thus explored in this study. Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) Study participants (n = 658) with childhood-onset T1DM were followed biennially for 18 years. Baseline (1986-1988) mean age and diabetes duration ...