Proteasome inhibitors represent a novel class of anticancer agents that are used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and various solid tumors. However, mechanisms underlying their anticancer actions were not fully understood. It has been reported that strong 14-3-3 protein expression is observed and associated with tumor genesis and progression ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease have an elevated risk of pneumonia and randomized trials suggest that this risk may be increased with the dopamine agonist pramipexole. It is uncertain whether pramipexole or other dopamine agonists increase the risk of pneumonia. METHODS: We used the United Kingdom's General Practice Research ...

Objective. To describe the results of different statistical ways of addressing radiographic outcome affected by missing data-multiple imputation technique, inverse probability weights and complete case analysis-using data from an observational study.Methods. A random sample of 96 RA patients was selected for a follow-up study in which radiographs of hands and ...

Abstract Rapidly developing next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies produce a large amount of data across the whole human genome and allow a large number of DNA samples to be analyzed simultaneously. Screening cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) obtained from maternal blood using NGS technologies has provided new opportunities for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis ...

Background:  Interleukin-17A has major proinflammatory activity in psoriatic lesional skin. Objectives:  Assess the efficacy and safety of secukinumab, a fully human IgG1κ monoclonal anti-interleukin-17A antibody, in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in a phase II regimen-finding study. Methods:  404 patients were randomised to subcutaneous placebo (67 patients) or one of three secukinumab ...

B*37:04:02 has 1 nt change from B*37:04:01 at nt 618 where G→A (codon 206 GCG→GCA) resulting in no coding change, 206A is not changed.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Comorbid anxiety symptoms,in patients with a primary anxiety disorder or a mood disorder, leads to poor patient outcomes and burdens the healthcare system. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of extended-release quetiapine fumarate (quetiapine XR) for the treatment of patients with either a primary anxiety disorder or a ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic surgery is a commonly used endoscopic surgical treatment approach in patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax. The conventional thoracoscopic approach utilizes three or more small wounds for surgery. Currently, a single port approach is a potential alternative procedure in general thoracoscopic surgery. We investigated whether a single-port approach ...

Introduction: There is wide variation in the feeding practices of extreme low birth weight (ELBW) preterms often guided by tradition and resources. The feeding regimen at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) nursery, a tertiary neonatal unit, follows a restricted use of parenteral nutrition and concentrates on early introduction of breast milk. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Pectus excavatum (PE) is a common chest wall malformation, with surgery being the only method known to correct the defect. Although the Nuss and Ravitch procedures are commonly used, there is no consensus as to whether surgical repair improves pulmonary function. We therefore investigated whether pulmonary function recovers ...

An efficient time-dependent (TD) Monte Carlo (MC) importance sampling method has recently been developed [G. Tao and W. H. Miller, J. Chem. Phys. 135, 024104 (2011)] for the evaluation of time correlation functions using the semiclassical (SC) initial value representation (IVR) methodology. In this TD-SC-IVR method, the MC sampling uses ...

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Bandyra et al. (2012) describe how a bacterial sRNA can lead to degradation of an mRNA by pairing within the coding region of the mRNA; the 5' monophosphate end of the sRNA activates RNase E, leading to rapid cleavage of the paired mRNA.

Self-consistent calculations using the Perdew-Zunger self-interaction correction (PZ-SIC) to local density and gradient dependent energy functionals are presented for the binding energy and equilibrium geometry of small molecules as well as energy barriers of reactions. The effect of the correction is to reduce binding energy and bond lengths and increase ...

BACKGROUND: Bacteremia and its complications are important causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. However, the yield of blood cultures is relatively low, with many false-positive results from bacterial contamination. METHODS: We investigated the relationship between patient food consumption and the presence of bacteremia. This was an observational analysis ...

Objective. To investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and economic burden of patients with FM syndrome (FMS) and compare the changes in these parameters 3 months before and after FMS diagnosis.Methods. A total of 2098 patients with FMS (1818 previously diagnosed with FMS and 280 newly diagnosed with FMS) ...

We compared insertion rates of single-use polyvinyl chloride laryngeal mask airways (LMAs) vs single-use silicone LMAs in 72 anaesthetised patients. Both airways were produced by Flexicare Medical. Laryngeal mask airway insertion was successful on the first attempt in 68/72 (94%) polyvinyl chloride LMAs vs 64/72 (89%) silicone LMAs (p = 0.39). Overall ...

Abstract Following tooth extraction, resorption of the buccal wall of the socket will occur; this will be true for both the maxilla and the mandible. Where the extraction site is surrounded by natural dentition, the loss of the buccal alveolar plate can degrade the visual aesthetics of an implant-supported prosthetic ...

OBJECTIVES: To prospectively examine the independent and combined effect of occupational physical activity and metabolic syndrome on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a large population-based cohort. METHODS: Data on 37 300 men and women participating in the Norwegian HUNT Study (1995-1997) were linked with the Cause of Death Registry at ...

Heat treating nitrogen doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes containing up to six different types of nitrogen functionalities, transforms particular nitrogen functionalities into other types which are more catalytically active towards oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). In the first stage the unstable pyrrolic functionalities transform into pyridinic functionalities followed by an immediate transition ...

BACKGROUND:Various techniques have proven to be effective for treating articular cartilage defect (ACD) and osteochondral defect (OCD) of the knee joint, but knowledge regarding which method is best still remains uncertain. PURPOSE:To evaluate and compare the outcomes of mosaic-type osteochondral autologous transplantation (OAT) and microfracture (MF) procedures for the treatment ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The main function of gene promoters appears to be the integration of different gene products in their biological pathways in order to maintain homeostasis. Generally, promoters have been classified in two major classes, namely TATA and CpG. Nevertheless, many genes using the same combinatorial formation of transcription factors ...

Round and round: A mononuclear Fe(II) complex with an N(4) S(2) coordination set has been characterized in four polymorphic forms. Two of the polymorphs display four-site cooperative spin crossover (SCO), shown conclusively by the crystal structure of a fully ordered 1:3 high-spin/low-spin state. The presence of S donor atoms in ...

Cooperativity, multi-site and multi-component interactions are hallmarks of biological systems of interacting macromolecules. Their thermodynamic characterization is often very challenging due to the notoriously low information content of binding isotherms. We introduce a strategy for the global multi-method analysis of data from multiple techniques (GMMA) that exploits enhanced information content ...

The predictions of several homogeneous nucleation theories are compared with experimental results for water for a range of temperatures and vapor supersaturations, S. The theoretical models considered are: classical theory (including the 1∕S correction factor), the Gibbs p-form, mean-field kinetic nucleation theory (MKNT), the extended modified liquid drop model-dynamical nucleation ...

Duplex DNA containing an apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) lesion undergoes cleavage significantly more rapidly in nucleosome core particles (NCPs) than it does when free. The mechanism of AP cleavage within NCPs was studied through independently generating lesions within them. AP mediated DNA cleavage within NCPs is initiated by DNA-protein cross-link (DPC(un)) formation ...

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) of breast cancer enabled improved outcomes especially in patients with advanced and inflammatory diseases. Biological heterogeneity of these tumors, however, requires better molecular characterization of the malignant tissue with consequent individualization in the selection of appropriate agents. To date, numerous molecular markers have been identified, and some ...

Evidence from human and animal studies indicates that mechanical loads to breathing are stressful stimuli and evoke compensatory behaviors. Load compensation behaviors are reflexive and well-characterized in anesthetized animals while they are behaviorally modulated in conscious animals. Repeated presentations of stressful stimuli are known to cause changes in an animal's ...

ABSTRACT: Vitamin C and vitamin E are known as important cellular antioxidants and are involved in several other non-antioxidant processes. Generally vitamin C and vitamin E are not synthesized by humans and therefore have to be applied by nutrition. The absence or deficiency of the vitamins can lead to several ...

Bacteria belonging to α-proteobacteria normally harbour multiple copies of the heat shock sigma factor (σ32 or σH or RpoH). Azospirillum brasilense, a non-photosynthetic rhizobacterium, harbours 5 copies of rpoH genes, out of which one is an rpoH2 homolog. The genes around rpoH2 locus in A. brasilense show synteny with that ...

Community-acquired respiratory virus (CARV) infections have been recognized as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with leukemia and those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Progression to lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) with clinical and radiological signs of pneumonia and respiratory failure appears to depend on the ...

We performed karyotype and aCGH analyses on 177 prenatal samples, including 162 (92%) samples from fetuses with sonographic anomalies. Overall 12 fetuses (6.8%) had abnormal karyotype and 42 (23.7%) fetuses had abnormal microarray results: 20 (11.3%) with pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs), 16 with CNVs of uncertain clinical significance, four ...

Abstract Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of Kurjak's Antenatal Neurodevelopmental Test (KANET), a new test for fetal neurodevelopment. Methods: One hundred seventeen prenatal neurological tests were performed by the KANET scoring system between 28 and 38 weeks of gestation in 24 low-risk (24 ...

We present a fast and efficient in-situ synthetic approach to obtain fully π-conjugated polymers with degrees of polymerization (DP) up to 23 and near quantitative (>95%) hetero-bis-functionalization. The synthesis relies on the key advantages of controlled Suzuki chain-growth polymerization: control over molecular weight (MW), narrow polydispersity (PDI) and the ability ...

ABSTRACT: Mycoplasma haemocanis is a hemotrophic mycoplasma (hemoplasma), blood pathogen that may cause acute disease in immunosuppressed or splenectomized dogs. The genome of the strain Illinois, isolated from blood of a naturally infected dog, has been entirely sequenced and annotated to gain a better understanding of the biology of M. ...

PRKCDBP is a putative tumor suppressor located at 11p15.4, where frequent genomic loss has been observed in human cancers. We explored the possible association between an intra-exonic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs1051992, that results in a Leu to Pro substitution, and risk for endometrial carcinogenesis. We assessed the genotype of ...

BACKGROUND: (131) I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) produces a 37% response rate in relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma, and could be used to improve remission status prior to myeloablative chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). The purpose of our report was to evaluate safety and response with MIBG therapy followed by myeloablative busulfan and melphalan ...

A hybrid piggyBac/Sleeping Beauty transposon-based insertional mutagenesis system that can be mobilized by simple breeding was established in the rat. These transposons were engineered to include gene trap sequences and a tyrosinase (Tyr) pigmentation reporter to rescue the albinism of the genetic background used in the mutagenesis strategy. Single copy ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer (LPC) can choose from multiple treatment regimens and are faced with a decision in which medical factors and personal preferences are important. The Personal Patient Profile-Prostate (P3P) is a computerized decision aid for men with LPC that focuses on personal preferences. We ...

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to evaluate survival among current smokers, former smokers, and never smokers who are diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The study included patients who participated in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's NSCLC Database Project. Current, former, and never smokers were compared ...

Percutaneous angioplasty and stenting for the treatment of extracranial vertebral artery (VA) stenosis seems a safe, effective and useful technique for resolving symptoms and improving blood flow to the posterior circulation, with a low complication rate and good long-term results. In patients with severe tortuosity of the vessel, stent placement ...

The sudden unexpected death of a hospitalized patient is distressing to the family and the healthcare team. It is also common. Assessment of the causes without autopsy is frequently incorrect. To elucidate the causes of death, 175 cases of adult hospital patients in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health ...

The cerebellum has extensive connections with the frontal lobes. Cerebellar injury has been reported to induce frontal-executive cognitive dysfunction and blunting of affect. We examined a patient with idiopathic cerebellar degeneration with impaired family relationships attributed to an "emotional disconnection." Examination revealed ataxia, dysmetria, and adiadochokinesia more severe on the ...

A salt and battery: The combination of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and an ionic liquid (IL) cross-linked network gel (CNG) allows the conventional three-phase reactive interface to be expanded to the whole cross-linked network. Thus, it integrates high specific energy and specific power with the feasibility of operating in ambient ...

Ligand specificity characterizes receptors for Abs and many other immune receptors, but the common use of the FcR γ-chain as their signaling subunit challenges the concept that these receptors are functionally distinct. We hypothesized that elements for specificity might be determined by the unique cytoplasmic domain (CY) sequences of the ...

Cellular transplantation for cardiac repair has emerged as an exciting treatment option for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure. Animal models of post-infarction left ventricular remodeling have demonstrated an improvement in left ventricular (LV) function, decrease in scar size, and amelioration of adverse cardiac remodeling after stem cell ...

PURPOSE: To compare [(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) / positron emission tomography (PET) / computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluating patients with cervical cancer. We compared tumor characteristics on FDG-PET and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps on diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) to evaluate concordance of two functional imaging techniques. ...

Abstract HIV serostatus disclosure among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is an important component of preventing HIV transmission to sexual partners. Due to barriers like stigma, however, many PLWHA do not disclose their serostatus to all sexual partners. This study explored differences in HIV serostatus disclosure based on sexual behavior ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic kidney disease studies focusing on platelet function and properties often are non-conclusive whereas only few studies use functional platelet tests. In this study we evaluated a recently developed functional flow cytometry based assay for the analysis of platelet function in chronic kidney disease. METHODS: ...

Noble metal nanoparticles are directly and homogeneously grown onto graphene-oxide (GO) sheets in oleylamine. After the oleylamine is removed, the GO sheets are exfoliated by the nanoparticle pillars to further form hierarchical GO nanostructures with molecule accessible nanopores. With specific sensing-groups modified, the porous-layered nanostructure can be constructed onto resonant ...

Here we report the cloning of the Pa_3_10940 gene from the coprophilic fungus Podospora anserina that encodes a C-terminal family 1 carbohydrate binding module (CBM1) linked to a domain of unknown function. The function of the gene was investigated by expression of the full length protein and a truncated derivative ...