To examine demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes of adolescents on osteoprotective practices in Taichung City, Taiwan. Using convenience sampling, 329 students from randomly selected high schools and colleges were recruited to respond to a 58-item questionnaire. Adolescents had significantly higher overall osteoprotective behavior practice scores than those of young adults ...

To determine stages of hearing-protection behavioral change and their relationships with cognitions and hearing status. A cross-sectional study of 769 construction workers who completed a survey and audiometric tests. The majority of participants (over 64%) were in the preparation stage. Participants in the action/maintenance stage demonstrated significantly greater benefits, self-efficacy, ...

The purpose of this study was to identify management strategies for non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (NF-PNETs) by analysis of surgical outcomes at a single institution. Archived records of patients with NF-PNETs who underwent surgery between 1994 and 2010 were reviewed. Among 125 patients, the median tumour size was 2·5 (range ...

To test a longitudinal and multilevel model predicting young adult risky sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted infections. Data from 14,058 participants in 3 waves were used to link community and family disadvantage, adolescent adjustment problems, and risky sexual behaviors with STIs. Community-level disadvantage, being African American, and being female remained ...

This review addresses the specific contributions of nuclear medicine techniques, and especially positron emission tomography (PET), for diagnosis and management of brain tumors. (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET has particular strengths in predicting prognosis and differentiating cerebral lymphoma from nonmalignant lesions. Amino acid tracers including (11)C-methionine, (18)F-fluoroethyltyrosine, and (18)F-l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine provide high sensitivity, which ...

Lung disease begins early in life in cystic fibrosis (CF), yet our understanding of CF lung abnormalities in the first years of life remains limited. By facilitating earlier diagnosis, newborn screening for CF provides the opportunity to understand and characterize presymptomatic lung disease in infants and young children. This could ...

To describe time-related beliefs and behaviors regarding healthful eating, indicators of dietary intake, and their associations with the number of weekly hours of paid work among young adults. Population-based study in a diverse cohort (N=2287). Working > 40 hours per week was associated with time-related barriers to healthful eating most ...

There is a lack of reports evaluating the outcomes of robotic gastrectomy and conventional laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the surgical stress response and costs of robot-assisted distal gastrectomy (RADG) with those of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG). This prospective study compared a cohort of patients ...

The Editors welcome topical correspondence from readers relating to articles published in the Journal. Responses should be sent electronically via the BJS website (http://www.bjs.co.uk). All letters will be reviewed and, if approved, appear on the website. A selection of these will be edited and published in the Journal. Letters must ...

The prognostic value of KRAS mutation in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CLM) receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy including bevacizumab before liver resection is unclear. The KRAS and BRAF status of resected CLM was assessed in prospectively studied patients. Mutations were correlated with recurrence-free and overall survival. Only patients with remaining ...

Adoptive transfer of T cells genetically modified with tumour-specific T-cell receptors (TCR) is a promising novel approach in the treatment of cancer. We have previously isolated an allorestricted MHC class I-restricted TCR with specificity for Formin-like protein 1 (FMNL1) with potent activity against chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells. CD4(+) T cells ...

To report psychosocial differences between self-reported HPV-positive and HPV-negative Florida men. Men (n=536) in an HPV natural-history study completed a cross-sectional survey (2007-2010). Most participants were white, non-Hispanic, and unmarried with some college education. HPV knowledge was high overall. HPV-positive men reported more negative emotions and perceived threat (P<0.05). HPV-negative ...

To examine the application of behavioral science theories to explain the voting behavior of legislators for public health policies. We conducted a systematic review to identify studies that examined factors associated with legislator support, intention to vote, or actual votes on public health policies, emphasizing those grounded in behavior science ...

To explore among older adults whether multivariate neighborhood profiles were associated with physical activity (PA) and BMI. Adults (66-97 years) were recruited from Baltimore-Washington, DC (n=360), and Seattle-King County, Washington (n=368), regions. Latent profile analyses were conducted using the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale. ANCOVA models tested for criterion validity of ...

Cox-2 inhibitors have been identified as promising candidates for cancer therapy. Several studies have recently proposed the use of celecoxib in long-term low-intensity chemotherapy protocols for recurrent tumors. However, drug-induced hypersensitivity reactions may force discontinuation of the medication and, thus, significantly complicate successful care. Here, we report on celecoxib desensitization ...

Morbidity after oesophageal cancer surgery remains high, mainly due to major postoperative pulmonary complications (MPPCs). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that hybrid minimally invasive oesophagectomy (HMIO) decreases the 30-day MPPC rate without compromising oncological outcomes. Consecutive patients undergoing curative oesophagectomy for cancer by laparoscopic gastric ...

To develop and test an explicative model of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), including 6 selected contributory factors: self-efficacy, self-regulation, social support, perceived physical environment, outcome-expectancy value, and policy beliefs. A social-ecological model of LTPA using the structural equation modeling technique was estimated in a regional, church-going sample of 649 African ...

To examine how individuals residing in low-income neighborhoods use their social networks for health advice. Secondary data analysis of 363 individuals living in low-income neighborhoods was conducted using social network analysis and logistic regression techniques. Findings suggest that residents typically seek health advice from one or 2 friends and family ...

Proteomics is considered a promising tool in the discovery of new biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets. The aim of this study was to identify proteins expressed in the plasma of survivors of myocardial infarction and possible correlations between expression of some proteins and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in ...

Human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) are thought to be immunosuppressive. The suppressive mechanism(s) used by PMN are, however, not well defined and in this study they were analysed using T-cell responses to CD3(+) CD28 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) as a readout. We demonstrate that in vitro activated PMN (PMN(act)) can, without any ...

Recently, the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association identified specific structural and functional neuroimaging findings as valuable markers of biological processes occurring in the human brain, especially processes that herald impending dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD) in its prodromal form. In particular, the imaging modalities of magnetic ...

This prospective study was performed in 179 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesions treated by radio-frequency ablation (RFA) to explore the clinical outcome of "linear enhancement" on contrast-enhanced sonogram. Thirty-three lesions (18.4%) showed linear enhancement, a linear-shaped positive enhancement in the RFA-treated area. Seventeen of them were followed up with no treatment ...

To establish a short measure of attitudes toward sexual consent in the context of alcohol consumption. Using a multistage and systematic measurement development process, the investigators developed the Alcohol and Sexual Consent Scale using a sample of college students. The resulting 12-item scale, the Alcohol and Sexual Consent Scale, was ...

Fouling-release (FR) coatings minimise the adhesion strength of fouling organisms. This study describes improved technologies to control the settlement and adhesion of the important fouling organism Mytilus galloprovincialis by incorporating the nanofillers titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrices. The incorporation of TiO(2) prevented larval settlement ...

Stroke and cerebrovascular diseases are major causes of mortality, morbidity, and disability. Nuclear Medicine, primarily via tomographic methods, has made significant contributions to the understanding of the hemodynamic and metabolic consequences of cerebrovascular diseases. In this review, the findings in acute, subacute, and chronic cerebrovascular diseases are described. Many of ...

Epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder in children, occurring in all parts of the world and within every stratum of the population. Through its effects, it exerts a significant physical, psychological, economic, and social toll on children and their caregivers. Historically, the surgical treatment of epilepsy has been ...

Digital professionalism is increasingly being integrated into postgraduate medical education. We developed a small-group, reflective practice-based session incorporating radiology-specific cases to heighten residents' awareness about digital professionalism. Case-based, radiology-specific scenarios were created for a small-group, reflective practice-based session on digital professionalism. Anonymous pre- and postsession surveys evaluating residents' use of ...

Changes in human bone marrow associated with the systemic inflammatory response to injury are little understood. It was hypothesized that major trauma results in an altered bone marrow leucocyte progenitor profile, with either uniform depletion or the balance between multipotent and committed progenitors varying, depending on whether self-renewal is favoured ...

To examine the relation of 2 measures of anhedonia-a specific facet of depression indicative of inability to experience pleasure-to physical activity (PA). Cross-sectional correlational survey study of 157 college students (73% female, M age 19.9 years). One or both measures of anhedonia were inversely associated with walking frequency, moderate-intensity PA ...

For 100 years, β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) have been recognized as the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and their presence or absence could only be assessed postmortem using stains and dyes that identified these microscopic structures. Approximately 10 years ago, the first successful Aβ plaque-specific positron ...

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), one of chronic liver diseases, seems to be rising as the obesity epidemic continues. In this study, 54 novel (thio)barbituric acid derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for pharmacological activity. 7h exhibited potent glucose-lowering effects on insulin-resistant HepG2 cells and regulated adiponectin and leptin expression ...

Apolipoprotein (apo) A-II, the second most abundant protein after apo A-I of human plasma high-density lipoproteins (HDL), is the most lipophilic of the exchangeable apolipoproteins. The rate of microsolubilization of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) membranes by apo A-I to give rHDL increases as the level of membrane free cholesterol (FC) increases up ...

Peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerization acts as an effective molecular timer that plays significant roles in biological and pathological processes. Enzymes such as Pin1 catalyze cis-trans isomerization, accelerating the otherwise slow isomerization rate into time scales relevant for cellular signaling. Here we have combined NMR line shape analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, and ...

Human IgG Fc glycosylation modulates immunological effector functions such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and phagocytosis. Engineering of Fc glycans therefore enables fine-tuning of the therapeutic properties of monoclonal antibodies. The N-linked glycans of Fc are typically complex-type, forming a network of noncovalent interactions along the protein surface of the Cγ2 ...

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a microsatellite expansion disorder caused by the aberrant expansion of CTG repeats in the 3'-untranslated region of the DMPK gene. When transcribed, the toxic RNA CUG repeats sequester RNA binding proteins, which leads to disease symptoms. The expanded CUG repeats can adopt a double-stranded ...

Fluorogenic probes activated by bioorthogonal chemical reactions can enable biomolecule imaging in situations where it is not possible to wash away unbound probe. One challenge for the development of such probes is the a priori identification of structures that will undergo a dramatic fluorescence enhancement by virtue of the chemical ...

Electron-beam scanning is used to realize spatially-controlled in situ synthesis of nanocrystals, as reported by Luana Persano and co-workers on page 5320. A smart combination of complementary nanofabrication approaches including nanoimprinting, electrospinning, and electron-beam decomposition of nanocrystal precursors, and subsequent nucleation of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix, allows the exploitation ...

Graphene oxide shows stress-induced toxicity properties in vivo under different pathophysiological conditions, as Yuliang Zhao, Guangjun Nie, Ying Fang, and co-workers report on page 5391. A dual-path chemical mechanism, involving the over-production of hydroxyl radicals and the formation of oxidizing cytochrome c intermediates, is responsible for the toxicity properties.

A facile approach to align Ag nanowires (AgNWs) on a macroscopic scale via a magnetic-field-assisted electrospinning technique is developed by S.-H. Yu and co-workers. The AgNWs assembled within the polymer fibers are arranged in parallel and can be further aligned by controlling the arrangement of the fibers into hierarchical structures, ...

Extended hydrogen-bonded networks are formed by P. Rahe et al. after deposition of terephthalic and trimesic acid on the insulating calcite CaCO(3) (1014) surface. The self-assembled structures are stable at room temperature and no molecular dewetting is observed. A combined model of the molecular superstructures on the CaCO(3) (1014) surface. ...

A major effort in Alzheimer's disease therapeutic development has targeted Aβ and downstream events. We have synthesized a small library of tricyclic pyrone compounds. Their protective action in MC65 cells and inhibition of ACAT along with the upregulation of cholesterol transporter gene were investigated. Five active compounds exhibited potencies in ...

Self-assembled monolayers of DNA on a silver surface were prepared and characterized by polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), fluorescence imaging, and (32)P radioactive labeling. The buffer concentration of the DNA solution and the surface roughness of the silver substrate were found to affect the surface coverage of DNA ...

Presented herein is a combined experimental and computational study of the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) inner filter effect on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) measurements. Using a bianalyte strategy in which dithiopurine (DTP) and ethanol were employed as the model analytes, we demonstrated that AuNPs enhance DTP's Raman signal but attenuate ...

We map the complete plasmonic spectrum of silver nanodisks by electron energy loss spectroscopy and show that the mode which couples strongest to the electron beam has radial symmetry with no net dipole moment. Therefore, this mode does not couple to light and has escaped from observation in optical experiments. ...

A palladium-catalyzed ortho-alkoxylation of anilides with both primary and secondary alcohols via ligand-directed C-H activation has been explored. This alkoxylation promoted by catalytic methanesulfonic acid proceeds well at room temperature in most cases and affords aryl alkyl ethers in moderate to good yields.

A corollary of the Bell equation of bond rupture is that the bond transfers a maximal impulse during its lifetime when the applied force equals k(B)T/x*. It is proposed that the designs of biological systems converge toward loading bonds with this optimal force to minimize the need for self-healing and ...

Objective: To describe the effectiveness of using telehealth programs to provide training or support to family members of people with traumatic brain injury. Design: Systematic review. Data sources: Intervention studies were identified by searching Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane library, Embase, PsycBITE and ProQUEST. Study selection: ...

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples represent a tremendous potential resource for biomarker discovery, with large numbers of samples in hospital pathology departments and links to clinical information. However, the cross-linking of proteins and nucleic acids by formalin fixation has hampered analysis and proteomic studies have been restricted to using frozen ...

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of the Work Ability Index (WAI) for different indicators of the need for rehabilitation at 1-year follow-up. Design: Cohort study. Methods: Data were obtained from the Second German Sociomedical Panel of Employees, a large-scale cohort study with postal surveys in 2009 and 2010. Results: ...

Objective: To observe the real-time muscle activity of bilateral hands while subjects draw circles under 2 conditions: with and without using Ramachandran's mirror-box. Subjects: A total of 24 healthy volunteers. Methods: Subjects drew 4 circles sequentially using their dominant hand with the other hand at rest, both with and without ...