Abstract NMDA antagonists and GABA agonists are proven protective in various animal models of ischemic brain damage. Tramadol, a centrally acting opioid analgesic reportedly possesses NMDA antagonistic and GABA agonistic properties, with additional ion channel blocking activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible neuroprotective effect ...

Esterified precursors of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA; 18) and 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-trisacetic acid (NOTA; 17,19) ligands bearing a dimethoxytritylated hydroxyl side arm were prepared and immobilized via an ester linkage to long chain alkyl amine derivatized controlled pore glass (LCAA-CPG). Oligonucleotide chains were then assembled on the hydroxyl function and conjugates were released ...

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate are implicated in numerous neuropsychiatric and substance abuse conditions, but their spectral overlap with other resonances makes them a challenge to quantify in humans. Gabapentin, marketed for the treatment of seizures and neuropathic pain, has been shown to increase in vivo GABA concentration in the ...

Studies on the role of insulin and insulin receptor (InsR) in the process of skeletal fluorosis, especially in osteogenic function, are rare. We evaluated the effect of increasing F(-) doses on the marker of bone formation, serum insulin level and pancreatic secretion changes in vivo and mRNA expression of InsR ...

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to reappraise the efficacy of redo-Kasai (or revision) in the era of liver transplantation as a treatment option in those patients with recurrent jaundice after initially successful Kasai procedure. METHODS: We studied ten patients that received redo-Kasai, among a total of 102 patients diagnosed with ...

Anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols are distributed widely in plants and synthesized by a common biosynthetic pathway. Anthocyanin reductase (ANR) represents branching-point enzyme of this pathway converting anthocyanidins to flavan-3-ols. Since tea contains highest amount of flavonoids, a cDNA encoding anthocyanin reductase from tea (CsANR) was overexpressed in transgenic tobacco to check ...

The intestinal mucosa is constantly exposed to a variety of microbial species including commensals and pathogens, the latter leaving the host susceptible to infection. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are an important part of the first line of defense at mucosal surfaces. Human β-defensins (HBD) are AMP expressed by colonic epithelial cells, ...

Replacing the catalytic serine in trypsin with threonine (S195T variant) leads to a nearly complete loss of catalytic activity, which can be partially restored by eliminating the C42-C58 disulfide bond. The 0.69 μs of combined explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed continuous rearrangement of T195 with different conformational preferences ...

Frontofacial monobloc advancement (FFMBA) is a powerful but high-risk procedure to correct both exorbitism and impaired airways of faciocraniosynostosis. One hundred and five children with faciocraniosynostosis (mean 4.9 years, 7 months-14 years) were evaluated prospectively after FFMBA and quadruple internal distraction. The advancement was started at day 5 (0.5 mm/day). Mean follow-up was 61 months (maximum ...

Graphene is considered a promising material for a range of new applications from flexible electronics to functional nanodevices, such as biosensors or intelligent coatings. Therefore researchers need to develop protocols for the mass production of graphene. One possible method is the exfoliation of graphite to form stable dispersions in organic ...

In this tutorial review in the thematic series "Acoustofluidics", we discuss the implementation and practice of optical microscopy in acoustofluidic micro-devices. Examples are given from imaging of acoustophoretic manipulation of particles and cells in microfluidic channels, but most of the discussion is applicable to imaging in any lab-on-a-chip device. The ...

One component of hindsight bias is memory distortion: Individuals' recollections of their predictions are biased towards known outcomes. The present study examined the role of working memory in the memory distortion component of hindsight bias. Participants answered almanac-like questions, completed a measure of working memory capacity, were provided with the ...

Correlation between compensation voltage (CV) and the m/z ratio of singly-charged ions was elucidated. The experimental data for various alkylammonium homologues and various pharmaceutical compounds were used to construct empirical calibration curves that were fit using commercial regression analysis software packages. The best fit equations were applied to calculate the ...

Prior investigations suggest that birth order position may be associated with the risk for developing a pervasive developmental disorder. This retrospective chart review examined the birth order status of 29 psychiatrically-referred patients with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Eighty-six percent of the subjects were first born. The finding was statistically significant when ...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to compare the integration of two types of prostheses (high and low density, written as HD and LD, respectively) implanted around the stoma to reinforce the abdominal wall to prevent parastomal eventration. The surgical technique used for preperitoneal placement of the prostheses is ...

Resistance to anti-neoplastic agents is the major cause of therapy failure, leading to disease recurrence and metastasis. E2F1 is a strong inducer of apoptosis in response to DNA damage through its capacity to activate p53/p73 death pathways. Recent evidence, however, showed that E2F1, which is aberrantly expressed in advanced malignant ...

Our understanding of regional filling of the lung and regional ventilation distribution is based on studies using stepwise inhalation of radiolabelled tracer gases, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. We aimed to investigate whether these differences in ventilation distribution at different end-expiratory levels (EELs) and tidal volumes (V (T)s) ...

AIM: To investigate the effects of a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet fed to mice of different genotypes during pregnancy and/or lactation on offspring skeletal muscle growth and metabolism. METHODS: Pregnant mice from strains selected for high body mass (DU6) or endurance running performance (DUhLB) and from an unselected control strain (DUK) were ...

AIM AND SCOPE: The developmental genetics and the biomechanics of sutures are well-studied topics, while their microanatomy is still imperfectly known. Here, we aim to investigate the structure of skull vault sutures using a high-resolution imaging device. We used synchrotron X-ray microtomography in order to obtain high-resolution images of skull ...

The purpose of this study was to compare the oxygen uptake of various on-court tennis drills. Eleven tennis players were monitored with a portable metabolic device to measure oxygen uptake of 6 different tennis drills at low and high speeds. The 6 drills were done with or without striking the ...

Caterpillars are soft-bodied animals. They have a relatively simple nervous system, and yet are capable of exhibiting complex movement. This paper presents a 2D caterpillar simulation which mimics caterpillar locomotion using Assur tensegrity structures. Tensegrity structures are structures composed of a set of elements always under compression and a set ...

Abstract Background and aim. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is the main predictor of clinical decompensation in cirrhotic patients with compensated disease of any etiology without varices. However, the predictive factors of decompensation are not so well known in patients with hepatitis C-related compensated cirrhosis, in whom etiology-based therapy is ...

INTRODUCTION: Pancreatectomies increase the risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) and pancreatic insufficiency. Pancreatic enucleation preserves pancreatic parenchyma, lowers the risk of pancreatic insufficiency, but may induce specific complications (tumor recurrence or pancreatic fistulization). The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for POPF following a pancreatic ...

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is an important heme-containing glyco-enzyme that has been used in many biotechnological fields. Valuable proteins like HRP can be obtained in sufficient amounts using Escherichia coli as an expression system. However, frequently, the expression of recombinant enzyme results in inclusion bodies, and the refolding yield is generally ...

Myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD1) genes belong to the MyoD gene family and play key roles in growth and muscle development. This study was designed to investigate the effects of variants in the MyoD1 gene on duck growth and carcass traits. Three duck populations (Cherry Valley, Jingjiang, and Muscovy) were sampled, ...

Chemical functionalization of a zigzag carbon nanotube (CNT) with 1, 3-cyclohexadiene (CHD), previously reported by experimentalists, has been investigated in the present study using density functional theory in terms of energetic, geometric, and electronic properties. Then, the thermodynamic and kinetic feasibility of H(2) dissociation on the pristine and functionalized CNTs ...

D-Aspartate (D-Asp) is an endogenous amino acid in the central nervous and reproductive systems of vertebrates and invertebrates. High concentrations of D-Asp are found in distinct anatomical locations, suggesting that it has specific physiological roles in animals. Many of the characteristics of D-Asp have been documented, including its tissue and ...

Posterior vault expansion using distraction osteogenesis has become a vital instrument in our institution, particularly as a first-line treatment in syndromic craniosynostosis. In this review, we highlight the several advantages, diverse utility, and technicalities of the operative procedure. A review of the literature and explanation of the technical details of ...

Conjugates of a dicarba analogue of octreotide, a potent somatostatin agonist whose receptors are overexpressed on tumor cells, with [PtCl2(dap)] (dap = 1-(carboxylic acid)-1,2-diaminoethane) (3), [(η6-bip)Os(4-CO2-pico)Cl] (bip = biphenyl, pico = picolinate) (4), [(η6-p-cym)RuCl(dap)]+ (p-cym = p-cymene) (5), and [(η6-p-cym)RuCl(imidazole-CO2H)(PPh3)]+ (6), were synthesized by using a solid-phase approach. Conjugates 3-5 ...

The structural organization of Trypanosoma cruzi has been intensely investigated by different microscopy techniques. At the electron microscopy level, bi-dimensional analysis of thin sections of chemically fixed cells has been one of the most commonly used techniques, despite the known potential of generating artifacts during chemical fixation and the subsequent ...

Introduction: Antimuscarinics (AMs) are the mainstay of pharmacological treatment of overactive bladder (OAB), a symptom complex defined by the presence of urinary urgency, usually associated with frequency and nocturia, with or without urgency urinary incontinence. The AMs used to treat OAB differ in their pharmacological profiles, which may affect their ...

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the disease management programme (DMP) "Therapie Aktiv" for diabetes mellitus type 2 during the first year of implementation in a cluster-randomised controlled trial (RCT), which revealed an improvement of process quality, but only insignificant effects on HbA1c. To further analyse the effects of the DMP we followed ...

In older men, severe abdominal aortic calcification and vertebral fracture (both assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) were positively associated after adjustment for confounders including bone mineral density. INTRODUCTION: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is associated with higher fracture risk, independently of low bone mineral density (BMD). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can ...

Though the craniovertebral junction is often abnormal in children with Crouzon's syndrome, no study had measured accurately the size of their foramen magnum (FM). We compared the FM size (area, diameters) on computed tomography examination in 21 children with a genetically confirmed Crouzon's syndrome prior to any surgery and in ...

We report photoluminescence (PL) modulation of quantum dots (QDs) by photoinduced electron transfers from acridine-1,8-dione derivative surface ligands. Reversible PL switching upon many repeated cycles was demonstrated, as alternating on and off of the UV excitation for the surface ligand has successfully resulted in the QD PL modulation.

A polyphasic taxonomic study using morphological, biochemical, chemotaxonomic and molecular genetic methods was performed on six strains of unknown Gram-positive, nonspore-forming, facultative anaerobic coccus-shaped bacteria isolated from a swine-manure storage pit. On the basis of the 16S rRNA, RNA polymerase α-subunit (rpoA) and 60 kDa chaperonin (cpn60) gene sequence analyses, ...

Laulimalide is a natural product that has strong taxoid-like properties but binds to a distinct site on β-tubulin in the microtubule (MT) lattice. At elevated concentrations, it generates MTs that are resistant to depolymerization, and it induces a conformational state indistinguishable from taxoid-treated MTs. In this study, we describe the ...

In mammals, litter size is a highly variable trait. Some species such as humans or cattle are monotocous, with one or sometimes two newborns per birth, whereas others, the polytocous species such as mice or pigs, are highly prolific and often produce a dozen newborns at each farrowing. In monotocous ...

A halophilic actinomycete strain designated H19(T), was isolated from a Saharan soil in the Bamendil region (Ouargla province, South Algeria) and was characterized taxonomically by using a polyphasic approach. The morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics of the strain were consistent with those of members of the genus Actinopolyspora, and 16S rRNA ...

PURPOSE: Diets rich in plant-derived polyphenols such as olive oil (OO) and/or catechins such as epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) have been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, potentially by improving endothelial function, an important surrogate for atherosclerosis. The possible augmentation of endothelial function with the combined efforts of OO ...

The main purposes of this manuscript are to provide an overview of various modalities of surgical correction of anterior plagiocephaly and to emphasize their differences with the classic open frontal-orbital advancement. Advancement of technology provides development of many other ways to achieve the same results. The authors describe the classic ...

OBJECTIVE: Blockage of nerve growth factor (NGF) by anti-NGF antibodies can inhibit allergic airway hyper-responsiveness in mice. This study was aimed at determining the mechanisms underlying the action of anti-NGF in vivo. METHODS: BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and treated with anti-NGF. At 1 day after the last ...

The rewarding properties of opioids are essential driving force for compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviors in the development of opioid-mediated drug addiction. Prior drug use enhances sensitivity to the rewarding effects of subsequently used drugs, increasing vulnerability to relapse. The molecular mechanisms underlying this reward sensitization are still unclear. We ...

Applications of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIPs), is rapidly increasing, especially in the drug delivery field. Molecularly imprinted polymers are the molecular traps, which can entrap the specific molecule and also control its release. Polymer complexes were prepared with and without propranolol HCl as templates, MAA (methacrylic acid) as monomer and ...

PURPOSE: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) may have normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. We investigated differences in cerebral metabolism associated with these three cognitive states and the relationship between metabolism and cognitive dysfunction. METHODS: FDG PET and a battery of neuropsychological tests were used to study PD ...

The Er(3+) codoped with CdS nanoparticles in sol-gel glass with an average particle size of about 10 nm have been synthesized by sol-gel method. The green and red up-conversion emissions centered at about 534, 560 and 680 nm, corresponding to the (2)H(11/2)→(4)I(15/2), (4)S(3/2)→(4)I(15/2) and (4)F(9/2)→(4)I(15/2) transitions of Er(3+), respectively; were detected by ...

Reported here is the design and fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) "overpass" microstructures at the junction of crossed microfluidic channels by femtosecond laser direct writing of photopolymers. The post-integrated overpass could be used for guiding different microfluids across the junction without mixing; therefore it is proposed as an enabler for achieving ...

Premature closure of the metopic suture results in a growth restriction of the frontal bones, which leads to a skull malformation known as trigonocephaly. Over the course of recent decades, its incidence has been rising, currently making it the second most common type of craniosynostosis. Treatment consists of a cranioplasty, ...

PURPOSE: The authors evaluated the usefulness of three-dimensional rotational angiography (3DRA) in surgical planning and postoperative evaluation of cerebral aneurysms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 111 consecutive aneurysms in 100 patients (32 emergency referrals due to haemorrhage) were evaluated with 3DRA over a period of 3 years. The rotational ...

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to assess stone-free rates following extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) of pure calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones in the proximal ureter. Material and methods. The investigators retrospectively examined 53 patients with 5-10 mm pure CaOx stones in the proximal ureter from the medical archives ...