ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The transcription factor SRF (serum response factor) mediates neuronal survival in vitro. However, data available so far suggest that SRF is largely dispensable for neuron survival during physiological brain function. FINDINGS: Here, we demonstrate that upon neuronal injury, that is facial nerve transection, constitutively-active SRF-VP16 enhances motorneuron survival. ...

Abstract Although sensory deficits are frequently observed in autistic individuals, pharmacologic interventions targeting these abnormalities are lacking. The goal of this investigation was to assess the effectiveness of aripiprazole in targeting sensory deficits in children and adolescents with autism. Using an outpatient clinic registry for pervasive developmental disorder, 13 individuals ...

A stereoselective synthesis of (-)-1-epi-ventiloquinone L and (+)-ventiloquinone L, the monomeric unit of cardinalin 3 has been described. The synthesis is completed in 7 steps with 10.5% and 13% overall yields for (-)-1-epi-ventiloquinone L and (+)-ventiloquinone L respectively. The key steps involve Dötz benzannulation of carbene with alkyne to give ...

Cadmium (Cd(2+) ) causes alteration of the cellular homeostasis and oxidative damage. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible protective role of thymoquinone (TQ), a predominant bioactive component present in black seed oil (Nigella sativa) on the hepatotoxicity of Cd(2+) with special reference to its protection ...

Musk made to odor: A new oxy-oxonia-Cope macrocyclization to (3Z)-configured cycloalk-3-en-1-yl formates is reported, which is useful in the synthesis of unsaturated and saturated macrocyclic ketones. The synthesized structures provide new insight into the structure-odor correlation of musks, making it likely for macrocyclic and linear alicyclic musks to address the ...

Two isomers of Sm@C92 and four isomers of Sm@C94 were isolated from carbon soot obtained by electric arc vaporization of carbon rods doped with Sm2O3. Analysis of the structures by single crystal X-ray diffraction on cocrystals formed with NiII(octaethylporphyrin) reveals the identities of two of the Sm@C92 isomers: Sm@C92(I), which ...

Mental and physical disorders are associated with total disability, but their effects on days with partial disability (i.e. the ability to perform some, but not full-role, functioning in daily life) are not well understood. To estimate individual (i.e. the consequences for an individual with a disorder) and societal effects (i.e. ...

Follicular development and ovulation are strongly suppressed during lactation in mammals, via a profound suppression of gonadotropin secretion. The present study aimed to examine the role of oestrogen feedback action in suppressing LH secretion and hypothalamic kisspeptin expression during the latter half of lactation. Plasma LH concentrations kept at low ...

This communication describes a new type of alloyed Cd-In-S quantum dots (CdIS QDs) with ultra small particle size and broadly tunable fluorescence emission from 450 to 700 nm. The band gap of CdIS QDs was mainly controlled by their composition rather than their particle size. The CdIS-ZnS core-shell nanocrystals exhibited ...

The majority of fear conditioning studies in humans have focused on fear acquisition rather than fear extinction. For this reason only a few functional imaging studies on fear extinction are available. A large number of animal studies indicate the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as neuronal substrate of extinction. We therefore ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The contribution of occupational exposures to COPD and their interaction with cigarette smoking on clinical pattern of COPD remain underappreciated. The aim of this study was to explore the contribution of occupational exposures on clinical pattern of COPD. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from a multicenter tertiary care cohort of ...

We investigated changes in the levels of significant cytokines in relation to neonatal seizures, a pattern of cytokine concentrations serially and the severity of brain insult. The hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy induced seizure group consisted of 13 patients, and another 15 normal newborns were enrolled as a control group. All of ...

Background/Aims: Adenomyosis is a common condition with a poorly understood pathogenesis. Recent data suggest that it may be an epigenetic disease. This study investigated the expression and localization of class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) in women with and without adenomyosis. Methods: The ectopic and homologous eutopic endometrium of 50 women ...

Newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) are currently treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as imatinib, nilotinib or dasatinib. However, incomplete eradication of residual disease is a general problem of long-term TKI therapy. Activation of mouse haematopoietic stem cells by interferon-α (IFNα) stimulated the discussion of whether ...

Abstract Objectives: Motion sickness (MS) is evoked by the conflict among somatosensory, visual, and vestibular input. Some of the MS symptoms and signs are mediated by activation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), a maneuver used for pain control, was found to influence cardiovascular responses ...

To develop a set of high-severity, clinically significant drug-drug interactions (DDIs) for use in electronic health records (EHRs). A panel of experts was convened with the goal of identifying critical DDIs that should be used for generating medication-related decision support alerts in all EHRs. Panelists included medication knowledge base vendors, ...

The drastically different reactivity of the retinal chromophore in solution compared to the protein is poorly understood. Here, we show that the addition of a methyl group to the C=C backbone of all-trans retinal protonated Schiff base accelerates the electronic decay in solution making it comparable to the proton pump ...

Our previous report showed that Hydnocarpi Semen (HS) extract has wound repair activity at ulcer lesion in diabetic mice. In this study, fractions of n-Hexane, ethylacetate (EtOAc), and butanol (BuOH) from HS crude extract were evaluated for their wound healing activity by using in vivo diabetic ulcer models and in ...

Aims:  Loss of specific immunity follows allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the majority of cases. Responses to (re)vaccinations can be used as indicators of a functional immunological recovery. Methods:  23 pediatric recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were enrolled in a single center setting and responses to scheduled immunisations ...

Simple and direct: Aldehydes and ketones can be transformed into alkyl azides through a reductive coupling of the corresponding tosylhydrazones in a process that takes place simply in the presence of K(2) CO(3) , tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB), and NaN(3) (top of scheme). The application of this methodology followed by the ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Environmental epidemiology and biomonitoring studies typically rely on biological samples to assay the concentration of non-persistent exposure biomarkers. Between-participant variations in sampling conditions of these biological samples constitute a potential source of exposure misclassification. Few studies attempted to correct biomarker levels for this error. We aimed to assess ...

OBJECTIVE: Thrombosis occurs at sites of vascular injury when platelets adhere to subendothelial matrix proteins and to each other. Platelets express many surface receptor proteins, the function of several of these remains poorly characterized. Cadherin 6 is expressed on the platelet surface and contains an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid motif, suggesting that ...

A novel hybrid (sequential) comprehensive two-dimensional - multidimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC - MDGC) method for complex sample manipulation and separation is described. It incorporates a separation step that approximates slow modulation GC×GC, prior to micro-fluidic Deans switch heart-cutting of a targeted region(s) into a third analytical column. It allows discrete ...

Current approaches for detecting circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in blood are dependent on CTC enrichment and are based either on surface epithelial markers on CTCs or on cell size differences. The objectives of this study were to develop and characterise an ultrasensitive multiplex fluorescent RNA in situ hybridisation (ISH)-based CTC ...

Many animals rely on the Earth's magnetic field for spatial orientation and navigation. However, how the brain receives and interprets magnetic field information is unknown. Support for the existence of magnetic receptors in the vertebrate retina, beak, nose, and inner ear has been proposed and immediate gene expression markers have ...

Rationale Disease exacerbations and muscle wasting are negative prognostic factors of COPD. Transient systemic inflammation and malnutrition have been implicated in skeletal muscle wasting following acute exacerbations of COPD. However, the interaction between systemic inflammation and malnutrition in their contribution to muscle atrophy, as well as the molecular basis underlying ...

The levels of natural radioactivity have been evaluated in the water column of an eastern Mediterranean region (Saronikos Gulf), with respect to the relevant environmental parameters. A novel methodology was used for the determination of natural radionuclides, which substitutes the time-consuming radiochemical analysis, based on an in situ sample preconcentration ...

To date, most studies aimed at discovering genetic factors influencing treatment response in asthma have focused on biologic candidate genes. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) can rapidly identify novel pharmacogenetic loci. To investigate if GWAS can identify novel pharmacogenetic loci in asthma. Using phenotypic and GWAS genotype data available through the ...

  As a powerful alternative to short tandem repeat (STR) profiling, we have developed a novel panel of 47 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for DNA profiling and ABO genotyping. We selected 42 of the 47 SNPs from a panel of 86 markers that were previously validated as universal individual identification ...

An efficient chemo-enzymatic process for construction of the α-linked disaccharide unit (GlcNAcα1-4Gal) found in gastric mucin has been developed. The process consists of a one-step preparation of a novel triazine type glycosyl donor in water and the subsequent transglycosylation to a galactose derivative catalysed by α-N-acetylglucosaminidase.

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP) increasing effect and bioavailability of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) microspheres, as a novel drug delivery system, after intravitreal administration. Methods: Microspheres loaded by TA were prepared by the solvent evaporation method. After encapsulation, the final microspherical formulation ...

BACKGROUND: and objective: The gene encoding angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is a promising candidate for lung cancer. We aimed to assess three well-characterized polymorphisms of the ACE gene (A-240T, I/D, A2350G) and lung cancer in Chinese people, and complete a meta-analysis of the association of I/D polymorphism with lung cancer. ...

Oxytocin pretreatment of pregnant rat myometrium has been shown to reduce the contractions produced by further administration of oxytocin, as a function of the desensitization phenomenon. It is unclear whether this phenomenon affects the contractions produced by various prostaglandins that are used in the management of postpartum hemorrhage. The objective ...

  To analyze the relationship between stature and hand dimensions for forensic applications, the stature and hand dimensions of 400 healthy adults aged between 20 and 25 years were measured in a Han population of Southern China. The mean values of the stature are 170.49 and 159.72 cm in the men and ...

FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1), a membrane-targeted protein, is also involved in independent direct nuclear signalling. We show that nuclear accumulation of FGFR1 is a common response to retinoic acid (RA) in pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESC) and neural progenitors and is both necessary and sufficient for neuronal-like differentiation and accompanying ...

Self-assembly is a desired property in supramolecular chemistry, but extensive aggregation may be counterproductive. Rigid systems typically have better organization, but are inherently less dynamic. This work shows that ion transport by amphiphilic heptapeptides (synthetic anion transporters or SATs) is affected by aggregation of the monomers in the bulk aqueous ...

Pregabalin, (S)-3-(aminomethyl)-5-methylhexanoic acid, binds with high affinity to the α2δ subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels and exerts analgesic, anxiolytic and antiseizure activity. Two-year carcinogenicity studies were completed in B6C3F1 and CD-1 mice as well as two separate studies in Wistar rats. Doses in mice were 200, 1000 and 5000 mg/kg/day, ...

BACKGROUND: An increased risk of breast cancer has been observed in night shift workers. Exposure to artificial light at night, disruption of the endogenous circadian rhythm with suppression of the melatonin synthesis have been suggested mechanisms. We investigated the hypothesis that rotating night shift work is associated with mammographic density.METHODS: ...

Objective: To determine the equivalent threshold sound pressure levels (ETSPL) for a commercially available distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) probe, and to study the impact of probe fitting and eartip size on the calibration. Design: Twenty-eight otologically normal test subjects participated in the ETSPL determination for the Etymotic Research ER-10C ...

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced in the brain by cells in the choroid plexus at a rate of 500mL/day. It is the only body fluid in direct contact with the brain. Thus, any changes in the CSF composition will reflect pathological processes and make CSF a potential source of ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether garlicin can prevent reperfusion no-reflow in a catheter-based porcine model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Twenty-two male Chinese mini swines were randomized into 3 groups: sham-operation group (n=6), control group (n=8), and garlicin group (n=8). The distal part of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) ...

Quantifying muscle and joint forces over a broad range of weight bearing loads during exercise may provide data required to improve prosthetic materials and better protect against muscle and bone loss. Collectively, leg intramuscular pressure (IMP), ground reaction force (GRF), and the instrumented tibial tray force measurements provide a comprehensive ...

  Supine hypotensive syndrome is characterized by severe supine hypotension in late pregnancy, whose clinical presentation ranges from minimal cardiovascular alterations to severe shock, resulting from inferior vena cava compression by gravid uterus. We report a case of a 41-year-old 39-week-pregnant woman found dead supine. Autopsy revealed the following: cyanosis ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Statins (hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors) are effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, or type II diabetes. Next to their cholesterol lowering activity, statins have immunomodulatory properties. Based on these properties, we hypothesized that statin use may eventually ...

Sticky stuff: A versatile strategy to spatially control gene expressions of mammalian cells is developed. A catecholamine polymer (PEI-C) is used to functionalize surfaces of adeno-associated viruses (AAV). Because of the underwater adhesive property of catechol, AAV/PEI-C hybrid vectors become highly "sticky", resulting in spatially patterned viral attachment onto substrates ...

In the past decade the slip of simple liquids on solid surfaces has been demonstrated by many groups. However, the slip of liquids on wettable surfaces is heavily debated. Using colloid probe atomic force microscopy (AFM), we found the slip length of dioctyl-n-pthalate in a symmetric wettable system (silica) is ...

The purpose of this study was to develop a preliminary decision algorithm predicting functional performance outcomes to aid in the decision of when to undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA). One hundred and nineteen patients undergoing primary unilateral TKA were evaluated before and 6 months after TKA. A regression tree analysis ...

Background:  Colorectal cancer is a common cause of cancer death in Australia and is primarily managed operatively. Surgical databases are valuable in monitoring performance in cancer treatment and detecting problems and trends. Methods:  Diagnostic and treatment variables and short-term outcomes were gathered prospectively for patients undergoing resection for colorectal cancer ...

OBJECTIVES: Transplanting of pancreatic grafts is an established treatment for diabetes mellitus. Polymorphisms in genes, coding for proteins involved in an immune response, may influence immunologic and nonimmunologic mechanisms that lead to allograft loss. Vitamin D receptor agonists have been shown to increase long-term allograft survival in humans. MATERIALS AND ...

Objective: The present study examined the joint influence of cognitive coping strategies and goal adjustment on symptoms of depression and anxiety in people with acquired hearing loss (AHL). Design: The study had a cross-sectional design in which participants were asked to fill in written questionnaires. Study sample: The sample consisted ...