The aim of this study was to explore genetic mechanisms of congenital heart disease by analysing family data. Families with two or more affected members were studied, and information on family history and risk factors was collected. A total of 25 families with congenital heart disease were identified, and among ...

The effects of prophylactic iron during pregnancy on maternal and child health in developing settings with endemic malaria and high prevalence of HIV remain unclear. This paper describes the rationale, implementation and success of a pragmatic randomised controlled trial comparing routine iron supplementation vs. screening and treatment for anaemia during ...

I wanted to personally write you to share the positive feedback I have received on your article, "Interventions to Manage Compassion Fatigue in Oncology Nursing" by Nancy Aycock, RN, BSN, OCN®, CHPN®, and Deborah Boyle, RN, MSN, AOCN®, FAAN. I work on a 12-bed medical research oncology unit at the ...

Sinus venosus atrial septal defect( SVD) represent 5~10% of atrial septal defect( ASD). In contrast to the more common superior type in which the superior vena cava overrides the pathological interatrial communication, the inferior type with overriding inferior vena cava is extremely rare. We describe a case of residual inferior ...

The relationship between systemic inflammatory processes to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) outcomes remains unclear. This study investigates the relationship between serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and functional outcomes post-TKA. A total of 31 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) who underwent TKA were enrolled in the study; 15 with hs-CRP ≤1.0 mg/l ...

The aim of this work is to determine the out-of-field survival of cells irradiated with either the primary field or scattered radiation in the presence and absence of intercellular communication following delivery of conformal, IMRT and VMAT treatment plans. Single beam, conformal, IMRT and VMAT plans were created to deliver ...

Inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity as stand-alone or combination therapy represents a promising therapeutic approach in oncology. The pan- or class I HDAC-inhibitors (HDACi) currently approved or in clinical studies for oncology give rise to dose-limiting toxicities, presumably due to the inhibition of several HDACs. This could potentially be ...

In this paper we propose a segmented magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior-based maximum penalized likelihood deconvolution technique for positron emission tomography (PET) images. The model assumes the existence of activity classes that behave like a hidden Markov random field (MRF) driven by the segmented MRI. We utilize a mean field ...

This study aimed to determine the minimum discard volume from central venous catheters (CVCs) to avoid dilution or contamination from flush or IV fluids. In 93 adult patients with CVCs, minimum discard volume findings were 9 ml for tunneled and 6 ml for nontunneled catheters. Nurses who obtain samples from ...

The inflammatory myopathies are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by muscle weakness and inflammation. Although no standard therapeutic guidelines exist, traditional treatment has included corticosteroids and a variety of second-line immunosuppressants. As treatment of refractory disease has been difficult, newer agents and approaches have been used with varying response. ...

The use of structured psychiatric interviews performed by non-clinicians is frequent for research purposes and is becoming increasingly common in clini-cal practice. The validity of such interviews has rarely been evaluated empirically. In this study of a sample of 100 diagnostically heterogeneous, first-admitted inpatients, the results of an assessment with ...

Background.  Healthcare workers and patients are often exposed to natural rubber latex (NRL) through contact with gloves and various healthcare products, which can potentially cause allergic reactions, with varying degrees of severity. In 2008, the Royal College of Physicians published their first evidence-based guidance on occupational health interventions for latex ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of inter-implant distance on interproximal bone utilizing platform switching. Analysis of interproximal bone usually depends on traditional two-dimensional radiographic assessment. Although there has been increased reliability of current techniques, there has been an inability to track bone level changes ...

Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate incorporating the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted antitumor properties of trastuzumab with the cytotoxic activity of the microtubule-inhibitory agent DM1. The antibody and the cytotoxic agent are conjugated by means of a stable linker. We randomly assigned patients with HER2-positive advanced ...

The human deafness-pigmentation syndromes Waardenburg syndrome type 2a and Tietz syndrome are characterized by profound deafness but only partial cutaneous pigmentary abnormalities. Both syndromes are caused by mutations in MITF. To illuminate differences between cutaneous and otic melanocytes in these syndromes, their development and survival in heterozygous Microphthalmia-White (Mitf(Mi-wh) /+) ...

INTRODUCTION: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder in adulthood. Its diagnosis requires a retrospective evaluation of ADHD symptoms in childhood, the continuity of these symptoms in adulthood, and a differential diagnosis. For these reasons, diagnosis of ADHD in adults is a complex process which needs effective ...

BACKGROUND: There is a large body of evidence indicating that eating disorders (EDs) are characterized by particular neuropsychological profiles. We aimed to further explore whether impairments in neuropsychological functioning previously found in ED groups are present prior to onset, or are secondary to the disorder. Method This is the first ...

A quick review of the basics of sample size and power is presented. Readers can participate in an online exercise that introduces them to a power calculator that can be used in their practice, and illustrates the concepts discussed in the article.

To ascertain the prevalence of risk factors for ischemic stroke in Pakistani patients at Shifa International Hospital (SIH), Islamabad, Pakistan. This retrospective cross-sectional study included patients of either gender, with no age limit admitted to the Department of Neurology at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan, with the diagnosis of stroke ...

An 86-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with angina due to the instent restenosis. He had a history of coronary artery bypass grafting( CABG). Re-do off-pump CABG was performed. Aspirin and warfarin were started on the next day. The drainage tubes were removed on the postoperative day (POD) 2 ...

Researchers have described multilevel societies with one-male, multifemale units (OMUs) forming within a larger group in several catarrhine species, but not in platyrhines. OMUs in multilevel societies are associated with extremely large group sizes, often with >100 individuals, and the only platyrhine genus that forms groups of this size is ...

In this study we showed that second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy combined with precise methods for images evaluation can be used to detect structural changes in the human ovarian stroma. Using a set of scoring methods (alignment of collagen fibers, anisotropy, and correlation), we found significant differences in the distribution and ...

Abstract Objective: Infection is believed to be one of frequent and important causes of preterm labor. We attempted to evaluate whether the level of inflammatory markers, e.g. interleukin-16 (IL-16), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and ferritin, in amniotic fluid at early second trimester can predict preterm birth. Methods: Amniotic fluid (AF) samples were ...

Active control of defect structures and associated polarization switching in a ferroelectric material is achieved without compromising its ferroelectric properties. Based on dipolar interaction between defect dipole and polarization, the unique functionality of the defect dipole to control ferroelectric switching is visualized. This approach can provide a foundation for novel ...

To develop formulations of carnosic acid nanoparticles and to assess their in vivo efficacy to enhance the expression of neurotrophins in rat model. Carnosic acid loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by ionotropic gelation technique using central composite design. Response surface methodology was used to assess the effect of three factors ...

Abstract Objectives: To investigate the serum level distribution of angiogenic markers (PlGF, endoglin, sFlt-1) and acute-phase proteins (SAA, CRP) in patients with HELLP syndrome or preeclampsia (PE) including matched controls. Methods: The matching procedure revealed 46 controls for 23 HELLP cases, and 81 controls for 42 preeclamptic patients. Maternal serum ...

INTRODUCTION: There is an increasing amount of evidence showing that physical activity and sun exposure are effective coadjuvant treatments for patients with mild to moderate depression. However, there is a lack of information regarding patient's adherence to these recommendations in daily clinical practice. METHODS: We conducted a study including 15 ...

Telomerase is activated in the majority of invasive breast cancers, but the time-point of telomerase activation during mammary carcinogenesis is not clear. We have recently presented a transgenic mouse model to study human TERT gene expression in vivo (hTERTp-lacZ). In the present study, hTERTp-lacZxWAP-T bi-transgenic mice were generated to analyze ...

Objectives: The aim of the current Valvular Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-2 initiative was to revisit the selection and definitions of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)- clinical endpoints to make them more suitable to the present and future needs of clinical trials. In addition, this document is intended to expand understanding ...

BACKGROUND: Blue-gray ovoids (B-GOs), a critical dermoscopic structure for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), offer an opportunity for automatic detection of BCC. Due to variation in size and color, B-GOs can be easily mistaken for similar structures in benign lesions. Analysis of these structures could afford accurate characterization and automatic recognition ...

Solid papillary carcinomas are tumors morphologically characterized by round, well-defined nodules composed of low-grade ductal cells separated by fibrovascular cores. These tumors are rare and affect predominantly older women. Although they are considered in situ carcinomas, debate and uncertainty still exist regarding their true nature, because immunohistochemistry for myoepithelial cells ...

ABSTRACT The development of a good research design permits us to obtain the best research data possible. From the experimental question to the research hypothesis and data collection variables, we can begin to consider the optimal research design. Details pertaining to the selection of the research design are considered within ...

Background:Since most of mediastinal cysts are benign tumors, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is optimal surgical procedure in recent years. It is important to select an appropriate approach accordance with the various locations of the cysts. Methods:This is a retrospective review between 2005 and 2011 included 42 cases who had been ...

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) carries a worse prognosis than other sites of colorectal metastases. If incomplete resection of PC affords no benefit to patients, complete resection of PC is beneficial in selected patients. The combination of complete cytoreductive surgery to treat the visible PC and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat ...

To evaluate the prevalence of severe insomnia symptoms and the extent to which they are associated with daytime impairments in comorbid mood and anxiety disorders. Nationally representative cross-sectional survey. National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R). There were 5,692 NCS-R respondents with no mood or anxiety disorder (n = 3,711), mood disorders only ...

Objectives Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk later in life. Methods We examined 19 young adults (22-25 years) who were born at term after IUGR and 18 controls, all previously examined with fetal Doppler, and in the present follow-up with echocardiography, carotid echo-tracking ultrasound, applanation tonometry, ...

An 18-month-old male basset hound was presented with vomiting, diarrhoea and depression. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a mass in the left kidney. An ultrasound-guided core-biopsy indicated aggregates of spindle cells, but did not allow a definitive diagnosis. Nephrectomy was performed after a period of six months, when ultrasound examination revealed a ...

Inappropriate complementary feeding practices have led to, in part, significant disparities in growth and nutritional status between rural and urban children in China. A cluster-randomised, controlled trial was implemented in Laishui, China to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention on caregivers' feeding practices and children's growth. Eight townships were ...

Oncology nurses caring for patients with complex medical, psychosocial, and spiritual issues-including patients at end of life-rely on current medical interventions to offer comfort to their patients. Equally important, but less acknowledged, is nurses' reliance on the internal processes of reflection and self-care. That internal focus is vital to the ...

A 55-year-old woman visited the emergency department of our hospital with complaint of coldness and pain in her right leg. Two hours after the onset, she suddenly felt dyspnea and temporarily suffered cardiac arrest. Echocardiography revealed a left atrial tumor prolapsing into the left ventricle through the mitral valve. By ...

Colectomy patients are at high-risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), but associated risk factors and best prophylaxis in this defined population are only generalized. Fifteen hospitals prospectively collected pre-, peri-, and postoperative variables related to VTE and prophylaxis, in addition to the variables defined by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program ...

To investigate the effect of spironolactone, as an angiogenesis inhibitor, on the isometric contractile responses in isolated vas deferens strips from left varicocele-induced rats. Twenty-four adult (12-14 months) male Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n = 6 in each): (1) Control group, (2) sham-operated group, (3) ...

The wide availability and recent improvement in technology coupled with portability, low cost and safety makes ultrasound the first choice imaging investigation for the evaluation of musculoskeletal diseases. Diagnostic use of ultrasound findings is greatly enhanced by knowledge of the clinical presentation. Conversely, ultrasound skills with its prerequisite anatomical knowledge ...

Pulsed laser ablation for the direct synthesis of single-wall carbon nanotube/PbS-quantumdot(SWCNT/PbS-QD) nanohybrids is demonstrated. The latitude of the developed pulsed laser deposition process permits not only the control of the size of the PbS-QDs but also the straightforward integration of these novel SWCNT/PbS-QD nanohybrids into photoconductive (PC) devices. Thus, by ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate evolving food retail systems in Thailand. DESIGN: Rapid assessment procedures based on qualitative research methods including interviews, focus groups discussions and site visits. SETTING: Seven fresh markets located in the four main regions of Thailand. SUBJECTS: Managers, food specialists, vendors and shoppers from seven fresh markets who ...

Chinese bayberry Myrica rubra is a very popular fruit in southeastern China. In spite of its wide consumption, no allergies to this fruit have been reported previously. Here we report on a 40-year-old woman suffering from anaphylaxis to Chinese bayberry fruit. Prick-prick skin tests revealed strong reactions to fresh Chinese ...

Donohoe G, Duignan A, Hargreaves A, Morris DW, Rose E, Robertson D, Cummings E, Moore S, Gill M, Corvin A. Social cognition in bipolar disorder versus schizophrenia: comparability in mental state decoding deficits. Bipolar Disord 2012: 00: 000-000. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons ...

An Excel model was developed to compare total costs (including primary and secondary dressings only) of Hydrofiber® dressing (2010 branded price) versus an alginate dressing (generic or branded price) in managing exuding venous leg ulcers considering mean wear time and mean duration of exudate management phase, from the French Social ...

CDDO-Me has been shown to exert potent anti-inflammatory activity for chronic kidney disease and antitumor activity for several tumors, including melanoma, in early clinical trials. To improve CDDO-Me response in melanoma, we utilized a large-scale synthetic lethal RNAi screen targeting 6,000 human druggable genes to identify targets that would sensitize ...

Highly functionalized dihydropyridinones were synthesized via the N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed enantioselective [4 + 2] annulation of α-chloroaldehydes and azadienes. Hydrogenation of the resulted dihydropyridinones afforded the corresponding piperidinones with high enantiopurity.