Protein-nanoparticle associations have important applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology such as targeted drug delivery and theranostic. However, the mechanisms by which proteins recognise nanoparticles and the determinants of specificity are still poorly understood at the microscopic level. Gold is a promising material in nanoparticles for nanobiotechnology applications because of the ...

The risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) associated with prolonged natalizumab use in JCV-seropositive patients might motivate clinicians to switch patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to fingolimod.(1,2) Many patients with MS taking natalizumab have failed first-line therapies such as interferon-β or glatiramer acetate, and are unlikely to respond to the ...

The ARF tumor suppressor is a product of the INK4a/ARF locus that is frequently mutated in human cancer. The expression of ARF is upregulated in response to certain types of DNA damage, oncogene activation and interferon stimuli. Through interaction with the p53 negative-regulator MDM2, ARF controls a well-described p53/MDM2-dependent checkpoint. ...

Insulin resistance, which plays a key role in the development of diabetes mellitus, is a putative modifiable risk factor for stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate if markers of insulin resistance were associated with risk of stroke in the general elderly population. This study was part of ...

SMAD4 is an essential mediator of canonical TGFβ/BMP signal transduction and we inactivated Smad4 in mouse limb buds from early stages onward to study its functions in the mesenchyme. While this Smad4 inactivation did not alter the early Sox9 distribution, prefiguring the chondrogenic primordia of the stylopod and zeugopod, it ...

Acute ataxia is not an uncommon childhood complaint. It most commonly occurs in young patients secondary to a postinfectious cerebellitis, which is typically associated with a very good prognosis and recovery. In adolescence, acute cerebellar ataxia is more often the product of an etiology likely to progress into a chronic ...

The disordered Frenkel-Holstein model is introduced to investigate dynamical relaxation and localization of photoexcited states in conformationally disordered poly(para-phenylene vinylene). It is solved within the Ehrenfest approximation, in which the excited state is treated fully quantum mechanically, but the nuclear displacements are treated classically. It is shown that: (i) Lower ...

Depression and obesity are important in children because they affect health in childhood and later life. The exact relationship between obesity and depression, especially in children, remains undefined. Patients and methods. Using a cross-sectional chart review design, our study looked at a weight management clinic-based sample of 117 obese children, ...

Intentional abuse of 1,1-difluoroethane has been reported to cause transient symptoms such as confusion, tremors, pulmonary irritation, loss of consciousness and, rarely, coma. In the last five years, 17 cases from the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office showed the presence of 1,1-difluoroethane in postmortem tissues, and the gas was ...

Viable Bordetella pertussis isolates are essential for surveillance purposes. We performed culture of 223 PCR-positive nasopharyngeal samples. B. pertussis was recovered from 45 (20.2 %) of the samples. Growth was associated with a high bacterial load as determined by PCR. Culture from PCR-positive samples is a feasible approach to recover ...

Cosmc is the specific molecular chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum for T-synthase, a Golgi β3-galactosyltransferase that generates the core 1 O-glycan, Galβ1-3GalNAcα-Ser/Thr, in glycoproteins. Dysfunctional Cosmc results in the formation of inactive T-synthase and consequent expression of the Tn antigen (GalNAcα1-Ser/Thr), which is associated with several human diseases. However, the ...

An extensive comparative study of the effects of microwave versus conventional heating on the nucleation and growth of near-monodisperse Rh, Pd and Pt nanoparticles has revealed distinct and preferential effects of the microwave heating method. A one-pot synthetic method has been investigated, which combines nucleation and growth in a single ...

Arsenate and phosphate are abundant on Earth and have striking similarities: nearly identical pK(a) values, similarly charged oxygen atoms, and thermochemical radii that differ by only 4% (ref. 3). Phosphate is indispensable and arsenate is toxic, but this extensive similarity raises the question whether arsenate may substitute for phosphate in ...

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) initiate innate immune responses and direct subsequent adaptive immunity. They play a major role in cutaneous host defense against micro-organisms and in the pathophysiology of several inflammatory skin diseases. To understand the role of TLRs in the acquisition of immunological competence, we conducted a comprehensive study to ...

OBJECTIVE In order to assess the effect of gray matter volumes and cortical thickness on antidepressant treatment response in late-life depression, the authors examined the relationship between brain regions identified a priori and Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores over the course of an antidepressant treatment trial. METHOD In a ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The main aim was to investigate the effect of using two brief feedback scales in mental health out-patient treatment six weeks after starting treatment, compared to treatment as usual. Hypotheses were that use of feedback scales would improve treatment alliance and patient satisfaction. METHODS: An open parallel-group randomised ...

Large population biobanks of unrelated individuals have been highly successful in detecting common genetic variants affecting diseases of public health concern. However, they lack the statistical power to detect more modest gene-gene and gene-environment interaction effects or the effects of rare variants for which related individuals are ideally required. In ...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have opposite effects on tumor growth, being able either to favour angiogenesis and tumor initiation or to inhibit progression of established tumors. Factors produced by MSCs within the tumor microenvironment may be relevant for their biological effects. Recent studies demonstrated that microvesicles (MVs) are an integral ...

The envelope glycoprotein (GP) of Marburg virus (MARV) and Ebola virus (EBOV) is responsible for virus entry into host cells and is known as the only target of neutralizing antibodies. While knowledge about EBOV-neutralizing antibodies and the mechanism for the neutralization of infectivity is being accumulated gradually, little is known ...

We explored the genetic diversity of the clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) regions of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) to design simplex real-time PCR assays for each of the seven worldwide most important EHEC serotypes. A panel of 958 E. coli investigated for their CRISPR loci by high throughput ...

This study describes a Toxoplasma gondii IgG ELISA test based on a new chimeric antigen containing three immunodominant regions from MIC1, MAG1 and SAG1 proteins of a parasite and shows that this test is useful for diagnostic purposes and may replace the lysed and whole-cell antigens.

Traf2 and NcK interacting kinase (TNiK) contains serine-threonine kinase and scaffold domains and has been implicated in cell proliferation and glutamate receptor regulation in vitro. Here we report its role in vivo using mice carrying a knock-out mutation. TNiK binds protein complexes in the synapse linking it to the NMDA ...

Background:Chronic migraine (CM) is a debilitating neurological disorder with few treatment options. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of the occipital nerves is a potentially promising therapy for CM patients.Methods:In this randomized, controlled multicenter study, patients diagnosed with CM were implanted with a neurostimulation device near the occipital nerves and randomized 2:1 ...

Palmitoylation plays important roles in the regulation of protein localization, stability, and activity. The protein acyltransferases (PATs) have a common DHHC Cys-rich domain. So far, twenty-three DHHC proteins have been identified in humans. However, it is still unclear whether all these DHHC proteins function as PATs. In addition, their substrate ...

Understanding and dissecting the role of different subsets of regulatory tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the immunopathogenesis of individual cancer is a challenge for anti-tumor immunotherapy. High levels of γδ regulatory T cells have been discovered in breast TILs. However, the clinical relevance of these intratumoral γδ T cells is unknown. ...

OBJECTIVE: A pilot study to clarify the association between popliteal vein compression (PVC) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT). METHOD: It is assumed that PVC and the associated change in blood flow increases the likelihood of DVT. We have selected patients who were referred to a vascular laboratory for a DVT ...

The activation of complement system can aggravate the secondary injury after spinal cord injury (SCI). Our previous study indicates that the interception of complement activation by C3 deficiency can reduce the secondary injury and improve the regeneration and functional recovery after SCI. However, recently it was reported that C5a which ...

BACKGROUND: Although nutritional screening with a tool such as the "Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool" ("MUST") is recommended for outpatients, staff are under pressure to undertake a variety of other tasks. Little attention has been paid to the validity of patient self-screening with "MUST." OBJECTIVE: This study in 205 outpatients with ...

The conditions of everyday life are such that people often hear speech that has been degraded (e.g., by background noise or electronic transmission) or when they are distracted by other tasks. However, it remains unclear what role attention plays in processing speech that is difficult to understand. In the current ...

Here we report a comprehensive analysis through alanine-scanning mutagenesis of the contribution of surface ion pairs to the thermal stability of Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius esterase 2 (EST2). We produced 16 single mutants, 4 double mutants corresponding to selected ion pairs R31/E118, E43/K102, R58/D130, D145/R148, 2 double mutants (R63A/R98A and E50A/D94A) involving ...

BACKGROUND: The Move for Change campaign is a three-part series of pan-European surveys designed by the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) to assess the impact that the EPDA Charter for People with Parkinson's disease (PD) has had since its launch in 1997. Here, we report results from the second survey, ...

Rift Valley fever virus strain MP-12 was generated by serial plaque passages of parental strain ZH548 12 times in MRC-5 cells in the presence of a chemical mutagen, 5-fluorouracil. As a result, MP-12 encoded 4, 9, and 10 mutations in the S, M, and L segments, respectively. Among them, mutations ...

Methylation of the high-risk human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) upstream regulatory region (URR) has been described, but whether methylation is present among low-risk HPVs is unknown. The methylation status of the HPV6 URR was analyzed in papillomas from the upper aerodigestive tract of six adult patients. All CpGs in the ...

BACKGROUND: Several temporary abdominal closure techniques have been used in the management of open abdomen. Failure to achieve delayed primary fascial closure results in a large ventral hernia. This retrospective analysis evaluated whether the use of vacuum-assisted closure and mesh-mediated fascial traction (VACM) as temporary abdominal closure improved the delayed ...

Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) is one of the most reliable methods for typing of E. coli including Extended spectrum β-lactamase producing E. coli (ESBL-EC). We investigated the performance of a new typing method, SpectraCell RA® (River diagnostics, Madison, Wisconsin USA), in comparison with MLST on a well defined collection of ...

Using antibodies prepared against a unique region (exon 22-24) of rat K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter-2 (KCC2), we confirmed that the ~140-kDa KCC2 protein is exclusively expressed in rat brain, but in chicken, we observed strong reactivity not only with the ~140-kDa KCC2 protein in brain but also a slightly larger ~145-kDa protein ...

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients may be at an increased risk of developing hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia (referred to as cardiovascular risk factors [CVRFs]); and these factors can potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined the incidence and predictors of CVRFs and subsequent CVD in 1885 consecutive ...

Rodent animal models, mainly the rat and mouse, have been widely used for studying neurological and toxicological events associated with cocaine abuse. It is known that the mouse is more susceptible to cocaine-induced hepatotoxicity (CIH) than the rat. However, the causes behind this species-dependent sensitivity to cocaine have not been ...

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) coordinate cell fate specification and differentiation in variety of systems. RNA regulation is critical during oocyte development and early embryogenesis, where RBPs control expression from maternal mRNAs encoding key cell fate determinants. The Caenorhabditis elegans Notch homolog glp-1 coordinates germline progenitor cell proliferation and anterior fate specification ...

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been a focus of recent study on tumor-mediated immune suppression. However, its role in Th17 cell differentiation and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis) has not been determined. We show in this study that development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice is ...

Objectives:To analyse the effectiveness of a combined procedure of massage and electrotherapy with interferential current in individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain of mechanical aetiology.Design:A single blinded randomized controlled trial.Setting:Clinical setting.Participants:Sixty-two individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. For 10 ...

Wapl protein regulates binding of the cohesin complex to chromosomes during interphase and helps remove cohesin from chromosomes at mitosis. We isolated a dominant mutation in wapl (wapl(AG)) in a screen for mutations that counteract silencing mediated by an engrailed Polycomb-group response element. wapl(AG) hemizygotes die as pharate adults and ...

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation is a chemical modification of cytosine bases that is pivotal for gene regulation, cellular specification and cancer development. Here, we describe an R package, methylKit, that rapidly analyzes genome-wide cytosine epigenetic profiles from high-throughput methylation and hydroxymethylation sequencing experiments. methylKit includes functions for clustering, sample quality visualization, ...

Elevated cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of tau discriminate Alzheimer's disease from other neurodegenerative conditions. The reasons for this are unclear. While commercial assay kits are widely used to determine total-tau concentrations, little is known about their ability to detect different aggregation states of tau. We demonstrate that the leading commercial enzyme-linked ...

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of standardized and study-specific human brain diffusion tensor templates on the accuracy of spatial normalization, without ignoring the important roles of data quality and registration algorithm effectiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) datasets, with and without visible artifacts, were normalized ...

PURPOSE: Based on resilience theory, this paper investigates the influence of key health indicators and risk and protective factors on health outcomes (including general health, disability, and depression) among lesbian, gay male, and bisexual (LGB) older adults. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with LGB older adults, aged ...

Thrombolytic therapy by infusion of analogs of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), other recombinant-based plasminogen activators (e.g., alteplase, reteplase, and tenecteplase), streptokinase, and urokinase (uPA) aims to clear blood clots and restore blood flow in occluded blood vessels. Thrombolytic therapy is thereby frequently used in patients with myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral ...

Dravet syndrome presents with generalized and unilateral clonic or clonic-tonic seizures that occur during the first year of life, followed by severe epilepsy. Prolonged seizures are often provoked by fever and usually followed by recovery of the previous condition. We describe the case of a 13-month-old girl with Dravet syndrome ...

The neuropeptides orexins and their G-protein-coupled receptors, OX(1) and OX(2), were discovered in 1998, and since then, their role has been investigated in many functions mediated by the central nervous system, including sleep and wakefulness, appetite/metabolism, stress response, reward/addiction and analgesia. Orexins also have peripheral actions of less clear physiological ...

Discotic liquid crystalline (DLC) charge transfer (CT) complexes, which combine visible light absorption with rapid charge transfer characteristics within the CT complex, can have a great potential for photo voltaic applications when they can be made to self-assemble in a bulk heterojunction arrangement with separate channels for electron and hole ...