Study design:Survey of expert opinion, feedback and final consensus.Objectives:To describe the development of the International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Spinal Column Injury Basic Data Set.Setting:International working group.Methods:A committee of experts was established to select and define data elements. The data set was then disseminated to the appropriate committees and organizations ...

To determine the cognitive effects of long-term dietary soy isoflavones in a daily dose comparable to that of traditional Asian diets. In the double-blind Women's Isoflavone Soy Health trial, healthy postmenopausal women were randomly allocated to receive daily 25 g of isoflavone-rich soy protein (91 mg of aglycone weight of ...

In spite of advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment, cancer remains a serious problem for most societies. It is unlikely that cancer can ever be eliminated entirely; therefore, we must continue to seek ways to reduce the incidence, morbidity, and mortality from this devastating disease. Although most cancer research is ...

Purpose: This article proposes a conceptual underpinning for and examines the validity of the Youth Evaluation of Products (YEP) scale when used to measure the AT device attitudes of youth. Method: Consumer socialization is promoted to improve the utility of an AT device selection framework for children and youth and ...

Purpose: To summarize the potential origins of fatigue poststroke from a neuromuscular perspective, including stroke-induced alterations at the cortical, spinal and muscle levels. Method: Perspective based on narrative literature review. Results: Fatigue is a highly prevalent, but poorly understood symptom poststroke. Neuromuscular fatigue has central and peripheral origins. Individuals with ...

Objective:Consumption of high-fat diet exerts adverse effects on learning and memory formation, which is linked to impaired hippocampal function. Activation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) signalling ameliorates detrimental effects of obesity-diabetes on cognitive function; however, mechanisms underlying these beneficial actions remain unclear. This study examined effects of daily subcutaneous treatment with ...

Sling surgery has supplanted other anti-incontinence procedures as the treatment of choice for stress urinary incontinence. Iatrogenic obstruction after sling surgery is increasingly reported as the procedure becomes more and more popular. The rate of retention (defined as catheter-dependency for at least 28 days) has been estimated at 1-10%. Iatrogenic ...

Since 1 January 2005, the situation of bariatric surgery has been examined in Germany. All data are registered prospectively in cooperation with the Institute of Quality Assurance in Surgery at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. Data are registered in an internet online database. Data collection on the results of sleeve gastrectomy ...

Spermiation and changes in androgen (testosterone, T and 11-ketotestosterone, 11-KT) levels were studied in sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) treated with GnRH agonist implants (D: Ala(6)-Pro(9)-LHRHa) at 25 and 75 μg kg(-1) b.w. and compared with those males treated with 4 mg kg(-1) b.w. of carp pituitary extract (CPE) and 3 pellets of Ovopel kg(-1) b.w., ...

The effects of esterified lactoferrin (ELF) and lactoferrin (LF) on blue mould caused by Penicillium expansum in apple fruit stored at 25 °C were investigated. Both ELF and LF provided an effective control, and strongly inhibited spore germination and germ tube elongation of P. expansum in vitro. Assessed by propidium ...

Familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) describes families with at least two first-degree relatives with confirmed exocrine pancreatic cancer that do not fulfil the criteria of other inherited tumour syndromes with increased risks of pancreatic cancer, such as Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, hereditary pancreatitis, and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The inheritance of FPC ...

Impulsiveness is a pivotal personality trait representing a core domain in all major personality inventories. Recently, impulsiveness has been identified as an important modulator of cognitive processing, particularly in tasks that require the processing of large amounts of information. Although brain imaging studies have implicated the prefrontal cortex to be ...

Background: Previous studies of brain structure abnormalities in conduct disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) samples have been limited owing to cross-comorbidity, preventing clear understanding of which structural brain abnormalities might be specific to or shared by each disorder. To our knowledge, this study was the first direct comparison of grey ...

Bronchogenic cyst is a relatively rare abnormality that develop from the accessory lung buds of the foregut. The cyst is regarded as a congenital developmental abnormality. Occurence in the retroperitoneal presentation is rare. Here, we present two patients who had an incidentally discovered retroperitoneal mass which were revealed to be ...

Context: The present study was planned to investigate the effect of absorption enhancers on the microstructure of Losartan potassium gel and hence its influence on the diffusion of Losartan potassium across nasal mucosa. Method: Losartan potassium loaded carbopol gel (1% w/v) with and without absorption enhancers was prepared. Polyethylene glycol ...

Somatostatin receptors (SSTr) are over-expressed in a wide range of neuroendocrine tumors, making them excellent targets for nuclear imaging and therapy, and radiolabeled somatostatin analogs have been investigated for positron emission tomography imaging and radionuclide therapy of SSTr-positive tumors, especially of the subtype-2 (SSTr2). The aim of this study was ...

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) often has an extended disease course. With a median age at diagnosis of 72 years, newer treatment options with less toxicity than standard nucleoside analogue-based regimens are needed. Historically, few therapy options are available once CLL has become refractory to nucleoside analogues. Bendamustine has emerged as ...

The microemulsion concept was introduced in 1943 by Hoar and Schulman. Self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (S(M)EDDS) are much more recent and can be described as isotropic solutions of oils and surfactants that form oil-in-water O/W microemulsions when they are poured into an aqueous medium. When they are presented as soft ...

Nanotechnology has gained increasing importance in the pharmaceutical and medical fields, beyond its importance in physics and technology. Targeting of the drug or active molecules can be achieved rather easily with some nanocarriers because of their unique properties; to program or control of delivery can also be possible. One of ...

Microparticulate drug delivery systems have, due to their advantages, guided researchers across the globe to explore them as drug carriers. This has, sequentially, led to the development of microsponges in 1988. These porous microspheres were exclusively designed for chronotherapeutic topical drug delivery but attempts to utilize them for oral, pulmonary ...

Gliomas are highly vascular and rich in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that promotes angiogenesis. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against VEGF inhibiting angiogenesis by preventing receptor activation. Phase II clinical trials using bevacizumab in both newly diagnosed and recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG) showed promising results. AREAS COVERED: This is ...

Folate receptor-α (FR-α) has been established as a membrane marker for ovarian cancer. In addition, it is frequently overexpressed in other major types of epithelial tumors. FR-α-based tumor-targeted therapy and drug carriers have been an active area of laboratory research for more than 20 years. Recently, there has been a ...

Research has revealed a relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and diseases such as diabetes, ischemia-reperfusion injury, cancer and many more. As a result, mitochondria have gained attention as a target organelle for the treatment of many diseases. Successful delivery of the drug molecule to the mitochondria could be achieved by keeping ...

Severe pruritus associated with end-stage renal disease is a particularly troublesome complication, because no effective treatment has been established. However, based on the findings of a recent randomized controlled trial, nalfurafine hydrochloride was officially approved in Japan for the treatment of resistant pruritus in hemodialysis patients. AREAS COVERED: This review ...

The mammalian immune system and the nervous system coevolved under the influence of infection and sterile injury. Knowledge of homeostatic mechanisms by which the nervous system controls organ function was originally applied to the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and other body systems. Development of advanced neurophysiological and immunological techniques recently enabled ...

Many perspectives on the role of evolution in human health include nonempirical assumptions concerning the adaptive evolutionary origins of human diseases. Evolutionary analyses of the increasing wealth of clinical and population genomic data have begun to challenge these presumptions. In order to systematically evaluate such claims, the time has come ...

Abstract Angiostrongylus is a metastrongylid nematode that includes species found in carnivores, rodents, and occasionally primates (including humans). About 100 species of wild sigmodontine rodents occur in Argentina, 16 of which are species of Akodon. The lungs of Akodon azarae and Akodon molinae from Sierra de la Ventana, Buenos Aires, ...

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)), also known as platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH), is a unique member of the phospholipase A(2) superfamily. This enzyme is characterized by its ability to specifically hydrolyze PAF as well as glycerophospholipids containing short, truncated, and/or oxidized fatty acyl groups at the sn-2 position of the glycerol ...

Giant insects, with wingspans as large as 70 cm, ruled the Carboniferous and Permian skies. Gigantism has been linked to hyperoxic conditions because oxygen concentration is a key physiological control on body size, particularly in groups like flying insects that have high metabolic oxygen demands. Here we show, using a ...

BACKGROUND: -Late potentials (LP) detected with signal-averaged electrocardiograms (SAECGs) are known as being useful for identifying patients at risk of Brugada syndrome (BS) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). As the pathophysiology is clearly different between these disorders, we clarified the LP characteristics of these disorders. METHODS AND RESULTS: -This ...

Cancer cells typically display altered glucose metabolism characterized by a preference of aerobic glycolysis, known as the Warburg effect, which facilitates cell proliferation. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and oncoprotein Myc are two prominent transcription factors that drive glycolysis. Previously, we reported that the estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) act as cofactors of HIF ...

Selection index theory was used to compare different selection strategies aiming at the improvement of meat quality in beef cattle. Alternative strategies were compared to a reference scenario with three basic traits in the selection index: weight at 200 (W200) and 400 days (W400) and muscling score (MUSC). These traits ...

We report on the role of H-bonding interactions on the uv-visible absorption and emission (steady-state and time-resolved) spectroscopy of topotecan (TPT) in solution. In aprotic solvents, a very fast (less than 10 ps) excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer reaction occurs in the absorbing enol (E) form to give a zwitterion (Z) one, ...

BACKGROUND:The calibrated automated thrombogram (CAT) assay in plasma is a versatile tool to investigate patients with hypo- or hypercoagulable phenotypes. The objective was to make this method applicable for whole blood measurements.METHODS:Thin-layer technology and the use of a rhodamine 110-based thrombin substrate appear to be essential for a reliable thrombin ...

A W(CO)5•THF-catalyzed cycloisomerization of bicyclo[4.1.0] substrates to afford mono C4-substituted 4,5-dihydro-benzo[b]furans and -indoles is reported. The title compounds are versatile intermediates that lead to a range of fused bicycles including the cores of various furan-, benzo-furan- and indole-containing natural products. In many cases, the functionalization of the dihydro-benzo[b]furans and -indoles ...

A chemically diverse family of small-molecule signals, the ascarosides, control developmental diapause (dauer), olfactory learning, and social behaviors of the nematode model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. The ascarosides act upstream of conserved signaling pathways, including the insulin, TGF-β, serotonin, and guanylyl cyclase pathways; however, the sensory processes underlying ascaroside function are ...

We measure the stability and folding rate of a mutant of the enzyme phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) inside bone tissue cells as a function of temperature from 38 to 48 °C. To facilitate measurement in individual living cells, we developed a rapid laser temperature stepping method capable of measuring complete thermal ...

Street-level concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and particulate matter (PM) exceed public health standards in many cities, causing increased mortality and morbidity. Concentrations can be reduced by controlling emissions, increasing dispersion, or increasing deposition rates, but little attention has been paid to the latter as a pollution control method. Both ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of overfeeding naturally-mated adolescent ewes on maternal, fetal, and postnatal lamb growth, hormone concentrations, and lamb carcass characteristics. Two experiments were conducted in which singleton-bearing adolescent ewes were fed a diet containing 2.72 Mcal/kg ME at a rate which met ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate methods to predict the secretion of milk and net energy and protein requirements of beef cows after approximately one month post-partum using nonlinear mixed-effect modeling (NLME). Twenty Caracu × Nellore (CN) and 10 Nellore (NL) cows were inseminated to Red Angus bulls ...

This mixed-methods study qualitatively (n = 13-convenience) explored contextual factors influencing decisions to drink responsibly, and quantitatively (n = 729-random) assessed the prevalence of these factors and whether they varied as a function of sex and binge-drinking status. Data were collected in 2007 among Texas college students. The constant comparison ...

Abstract Purpose: To report the clinical course of a highly myopic woman treated by a single intravitreal injection of bevacizumab during the first trimester of pregnancy. Methods: Observational case report. A 35-year-old woman affected by pathologic myopia complained of blurred vision in her left eye in the fourth week of ...

Eyes gather information and color forms an extremely important component of the information, more so in the case of animals to forage and navigate within their immediate environment. By using the ONIOM (QM/MM) method, we report a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the structure and molecular mechanism of spectral tuning of ...

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and epithelial ovarian cancer survival among young women. Methods: We conducted a cohort analysis of 425 women aged 20-54 years with incident epithelial ovarian cancer enrolled during 1980-1982 in Cancer and Steroid Hormone ...

Maintenance of genome integrity is the major biological role of RecQ-family helicases via their participation in homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DNA repair processes. RecQ helicases exert their functions by using the free energy of ATP hydrolysis for mechanical movement along DNA tracks (translocation). In addition to the importance of translocation per ...

To find the native conformation (fold), proteins sample a subspace that is typically hundreds of orders of magnitude smaller than their full conformational space. Whether such fast folding is intrinsic or the result of natural selection, and what is the longest foldable protein, are open questions. Here, we derive the ...

The canonical Wnt signalling pathway induces the β-catenin/lymphoid enhancer factor transcription factors. It is activated in various cancers, most characteristically carcinomas, in which it promotes metastatic spread by increasing migration and/or invasion. The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway is frequently activated in melanoma, but the presence of β-catenin in the nucleus does ...

PURPOSEColorectal carcinoma (CRC) has been described as a subsequent malignant neoplasm (SMN), although little is known about associated risk factors. We aimed to quantify the long-term risk of secondary CRC and identify treatment-related risk factors. PATIENTS AND METHODSIn this nested case-control study, 19 cases of adenocarcinoma of the colon or ...

Infections with Candida spp. have different manifestations in humans, ranging from mucosal to bloodstream and deep-seated disseminated infections. Immunocompromised patients have increased susceptibility to these types of infections, due to reduced capacity to elicit effective innate or adaptive immunity. In addition, rare and common genetic variants in the human genome ...

Cytokinesis is initiated by constriction of the cleavage furrow and terminated by abscission of the intercellular bridge that connects two separating daughter cells. The complicated processes of cytokinesis are coordinated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation mediated by protein kinases and phosphatases. Mammalian Misshapen-like kinase 1 (MINK1) is a member of the ...