Objectives: To evaluate accuracy and precision of a hand-held ketone meter measuring β-hydroxybutyrate and to determine its diagnostic performance to rule out ketoacidaemia in diabetic cats. Methods: The ketone meter was validated by calculating within-day precision at different β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations and by comparison with a laboratory method. To determine its ...

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of renal cancer in adults. RCC is notoriously resistant to current therapies suggesting the need to improve our knowledge and create more effective therapies. The molecular genetic defects that occur in RCC are extensive and complex ranging from single DNA changes, ...

Background Drug-drug interactions (DDI) in hospitalized patients are highly prevalent and an important source of adverse drug reactions. DI computerized screening system can prevent the occurrence of some of these events. Objective To evaluate the impact of drug-drug interaction (DDI) screening software combined with active intervention in preventing drug interactions. ...

Text-based plagiarism, or copying language from sources, has recently become an issue of growing concern in scientific publishing. Use of CrossCheck (a computational text-matching tool) by journals has sometimes exposed an unexpected amount of textual similarity between submissions and databases of scholarly literature. In this paper I provide an overview ...

One-day-old chickens were fed mixtures containing different raw materials (fish by-products meal, porcine blood cells meal, blood meal, wheat gluten, fodder yeast), as a source of histidine and β-alanine - components of carnosine. Control birds were administered a feed mixture, in which soy bean meal was the main protein source. ...

Congestive heart failure is an inexorable disease associated with unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Preclinical results indicate that gene transfer using various proteins is a safe and effective approach for increasing function of the failing heart. In the current review, we provide a summary of cardiac gene transfer in general ...

The expression of aquaporin (AQP) water channels may influence the development of retinal edema. We investigated the transcriptional regulation of AQP3 in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. As shown by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry, cultured RPE cells express AQP3 mRNA and protein. The AQP3 mRNA level in RPE cells ...

In this work, we investigate the mode of chiral interactions between the asymmetric Co(II) salen complex, (S,S)-N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexane-diamine-Co(II) ([Co()]), and single enantiomers of methylbenzylamine (MBA) using different continuous-wave and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance techniques combined with density functional theory computations. While [Co()] displays a large affinity for binding a single MBA ...

Metagenomics is a powerful tool that allows for the culture-independent analysis of complex microbial communities. One of the most complex and dense microbial ecosystems known is that of the human distal colon, with cell densities reaching up to 10(12) per gram of faeces. With the majority of species as yet ...

BACKGROUND: Transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length is useful after suture insertion in predicting preterm delivery. However, there is little evidence to guide practice in the clinical scenario when fetal membranes are seen on ultrasound to be prolapsing distal to a cervical suture. AIM: To determine whether a reinforcing cerclage ...

OBJECTS: Identification of biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is important for its early diagnosis and prevention and a key in advancing our understanding of its pathophysiology. The aim of this study was to determine whether systemic inflammatory interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as well as hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM), ...

The Asian population is thought to have a low risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but the epidemiology of VTE in cancer patients remains unclear. The National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan was used to find hospitalised patients newly-diagnosed with cancer to determine the incidence of VTE in cancer patients ...

Introgression of several genomic loci from tetraploid Triticum militinae into bread wheat cv. Tähti has increased resistance of introgression line 8.1 to powdery mildew in seedlings and adult plants. In our previous work, only a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 4AL of the line 8.1 contributed significantly to ...

Age related mitochondrial impairments are considered to be contributors of cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to examine whether early life exposure to lead (Pb) would lead to the Pb induced age related hematological and cardiac mitochondrial changes in rats, and to further examine the protective effect of nutrient metal ...

Over the past two decades, dermoscopy has remarkably enhanced the diagnostic accuracy of pigmented skin lesions and, more recently, of non-pigmented skin disorders, including skin cancers, inflammatory and infectious diseases. With respect to non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC), dermoscopy is an effective diagnostic tool for the clinical assessment of basal cell ...

OBJECTIVE: Fetal malposition, specifically occiput posterior and transverse (OP/OT), is associated with higher intra-partum morbidity. We tested the hypothesis that young maternal age and pelvic immaturity are risk factors for fetal malposition. METHODS: In a cohort study of all nulliparous teen (≤18 years) deliveries over a 4-year period at one institution, ...

Scapular notching is a common worrying finding after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). Eccentric glenospheres have recently been developed in an attempt to prevent notching. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological results of RSA with an eccentric glenosphere and compare the incidence and the ...

The paper describes a rational approach for the selection of cross-linkers during the development of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). As a model system for this research MIPs specific for the drug zidovudine (AZT) were designed and tested. Three cross-linkers trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) were ...

This paper presents a disposable microfluidic device for on-chip lysing, PCR, and analysis in one continuous-flow process. Male-female sex determination was performed with human saliva in less than 20 min from spit to finish, and requiring only seconds of manual sample handling. This genetic analysis was based on the amplification ...

The genetic polymorphisms in E-cadherin gene (CDH1) may affect invasive/metastatic development of gastric cancer by altering gene transcriptional activity of epithelial cell. Our study aims to explore the associations among CDH1 gene polymorphisms, and predisposition of gastric cancer. We genotyped four potentially functional polymorphisms (rs13689, rs1801552, rs16260 and rs17690554) of ...

Antithrombin is a plasma protein critical to the regulation of coagulation. It plays a pivotal anticoagulant role by preventing the activation of procoagulant proteinases. Inherited and (or) acquired deficiency of AT is an established risk factor for venous thromboembolism. Sequencing analysis of SERPINC1 gene of three families revealed that Family ...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the anti-osteoporotic effects of Radix Dipsaci total saponins (RTS). We showed that RTS was able to improve bone properties by either an increase of osteoblastic activity or a decrease in osteoclastic activity. INTRODUCTION: Radix Dipsaci has long been used as an anti-osteoporotic ...

This paper proposes a nonparametric procedure to describe the progression of longitudinal cohorts over time from a population averaged perspective, leading to multistate probability curves with the states defined jointly by survival and longitudinal outcomes measured with error. To account for the challenges of informative dropout and nonlinear shapes of ...

PURPOSE: The correlation between radiographic transition zone on contrast enema in Hirschsprung's disease and the total length of aganglionosis is known to be inaccurate. The aim of our study was to analyse this correlation more precisely to improve preoperative planning of the corrective surgery. METHODS: From 1998 to 2009, 79 ...

Successive unexplained shellfish toxicity events have been observed in Arcachon Bay (Atlantic coast, France) since 2005. The positive mouse bioassay (MBA) revealing atypical toxicity did not match the phytoplankton observations or the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) investigations used to detect some known lipophilic toxins in shellfish. The use of ...

Modification of oleic acid (C18:1) and linolenic acid (C18:3) contents in seeds is one of the major goals for quality breeding after removal of erucic acid in oilseed rape (Brassica napus). The fatty acid desaturase genes FAD2 and FAD3 have been shown as the major genes for the control of ...

Though mild hypothermia displays an optimistic alleviation of contractive failure in the ischemia/reperfusion myocardium, we still lacked answers to many questions about its potential mechanisms. Our hypothesis is that hypothermia (32°C) induced in ischemia can ease mitochondrial injury resulting in improvement of myocardial contractility even under the condition of a ...

Aged skeletal muscle displays increased fibrosis and impaired regeneration. While it is not well characterized how skeletal muscle fibroblasts contribute to these phenomena, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and Delta/Notch signaling have been implicated to influence muscle regeneration. In this study, a unique combination of aging phenotypes is identified in differentiating ...

This study explored whether Crassostrea gigas oysters can be used as a bioindicator of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in shrimp farm water canals. Bioassays showed that C. gigas can accumulate WSSV in their gills and digestive glands but do not become infected, either by exposure to seawater containing WSSV ...

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an indicator of the regulation of the heart, see Task Force (Circulation 93(5):1043-1065, 1996). This study compares the regulation of the heart in two cases of healthy subjects within real life situations: Marathon runners and shift workers. After an update on the state of the ...

Simultaneous induction of multiple stress tolerance by single-gene transfer is a powerful strategy to engineer crop plants to improve tolerance to environmental stress under field condition. The possibility of enhancement of multiple stress tolerance by four grape transcription factors that enhance low-temperature tolerance (VvCBF2, VvCBF4, VvCBFL, and VvZFPL) were analyzed ...

Lees, P., Cheng, Z., Keefe, T. J., Weich, E., Bryd, J., Cedergren, R., Cozzi, E. Bioequivalence in dogs of a meloxicam formulation administered as a transmucosal oral mist with an orally administered pioneer suspension product. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2885.2012.01402.x. A mucosal mist formulation of meloxicam, administered as a ...

Cancer increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Here, we investigated the contribution of microparticle (MP)-dependent procoagulant activity to the prothrombotic state in these patients. In 43 cancer patients without VTE at study entry and 22 healthy volunteers, markers of in vivo and MP-dependent coagulation were measured and patients were ...

The presence, size and importance of bacterial communities on plant leaf surfaces are widely appreciated. However, information is scarce regarding their composition and how it changes along geographical and seasonal scales. We collected 106 samples of field-grown Romaine lettuce from commercial production regions in California and Arizona during the 2009-2010 ...

To improve methods of estimating use of evidence-based psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in the Veteran's health administration, we evaluated administrative data and note text for patients newly enrolling in six VHA outpatient PTSD clinics in New England during the 2010 fiscal year (n = 1,924). Using natural language processing, we developed ...

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an important disease with significant complications. The objectives of this study were to determine incidence and mortality of PG and strength of reported associations. A retrospective cohort study was completed using computerized medical records from the General Practice Research Database, a large representative UK database. Patients ...

NMR is ideally suited for the analysis of protein-protein and protein ligand interactions with dissociation constants ranging from ~2 μM to ~1 mM, and with kinetics in the fast exchange regime on the NMR timescale. For the determination of dissociation constants (K ( D )) of 1:1 protein-protein or protein-ligand interactions using ...

Mercury (Hg) is a trace element with high toxicological impact on potential receptors, including human beings. Global Hg emissions are predicted to increase significantly during the next 40 years. After emission, the metal is transported by air currents and precipitations, leading to increasing depositions even in areas far from emission sources. ...

Organisms have evolved a wide variety of mechanisms to utilize and respond to light. In many cases, the biological response is mediated by structural changes that follow photon absorption in a protein complex. The initial step in such cases is normally the photoisomerization of a highly conjugated prosthetic group. To ...

Low molecular weight carbohydrates in pine nuts from Pinus pinea L. (n=7) have been studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as their trimethylsilyl oximes. Besides previously reported components, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and raffinose, several soluble carbohydrates have been identified for the first time in this product, including saccharides (galactose, ...

The goal of collegial ethics is to actively support our colleagues and to develop the skills needed to do so. While collegial interactions are key for our careers, there is little or no training in this. Many of our actions and reactions with our colleagues are instinctive. Human nature has ...

The development rate of immature Calliphora vicina reared on decomposed liver was significantly slower, by as much as 30 h (55.4 % of total development time) for mid-sized larvae, and 71 h (35.0 %) and 58 h (14.6 %) if using times to the onset of pupariation and eclosion, respectively, than those of immatures that developed ...

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of hydrocephalus after gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for vestibular schwannoma. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed clinical and neuroimaging findings of 221 patients who underwent GKRS for newly diagnosed vestibular schwannoma. Mean patient age was 54.1 years (range 7-83 years), ...

Aims: In symptomatic fever management, there is often a gap between everyday clinical practice and current evidence. We were interested to see whether the 3 linguistic regions of Switzerland differ in the management of fever. Methods: A close-ended questionnaire, sent to 900 Swiss pediatricians, was answered by 322 pediatricians. 214 ...

Ten oxidosqualene cyclase inhibitors with high efficacy as cholesterol-lowering agents and of different chemical structure classes were evaluated as potential anti-cancer agents against human cancer cells from various tissue origins and non-tumoral human brain-derived endothelial cells. Inhibition of cancer cell growth was demonstrated at μmolar concentrations, comparable to the concentrations ...

Red or yellow phosphors excited by a blue light-emitting diode (LED) are an efficient source of white light for everyday applications.1,2 Many solid oxides and nitrides, particularly silicon nitride-based materials such as M2Si5N8 and MSi2O2N2 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba), CaAlSiN3 and SiAlON are useful phosphor hosts with good thermal ...

Macrophages play an important role in the rejection of xenogeneic cells and therefore represent a major obstacle to generating chimeric mice with human xenografts that are useful tools for basic and preclinical medical research. The inhibitory SIRPα receptor is a negative regulator of macrophage phagocytic activity and interacts in a ...

INTRODUCTION: Eccentric syringes associated with Chiari I malformation have received scant attention in the medical literature. Herein, we describe our experience and long-term outcome in patients with this finding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of a Chiari I database was performed. Patients known to have an associated syringomyelia were ...

Engraftment and OS after umbilical CBT is highly dependent on the TNC. The contribution of the wash step to cell loss and ultimately the dose of cells available for transplant is not well described. To investigate the amount of cell loss after washing and its impact on major outcomes compared ...

First principles calculations based on spin-polarized density functional theory were used to identify metallic adatoms that would strengthen the Pt(111)/graphene interface (with a low work of separation of 0.009 J m(-2)), when the adatom was placed between the Pt(111) and the graphene. It was shown that the strength of the Pt-adatom bond, ...