We report the first comprehensive and reliable time series for As, Mo, Sb, and Tl in the snowpack from Dome Fuji in the central East Antarctic Plateau. Our results show significant enrichment of these elements due to either anthropogenic activities or large volcanic eruptions during the past 50 years. With ...

The regulation of cell motility is central to living systems. Consequently, cell migration assays are some of the most frequently used in vitro assays. This article provides a comprehensive, detailed review of in vitro cell migration assays both currently in use and possible with existing technology. Emphasis is given to ...

Context: Medicinal plants are a largely unexplored source of drug repository. Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) is used in traditional medicine to treat diverse conditions. Objective: The present study describes the antidiabetic, antiinflammatory, antibacterial activity, and toxicological studies of Urtica dioica. Materials and methods: U. dioica leaves were subjected to solvent ...

PurposeTo investigate the characteristics of patients with a localized retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) defect and normal optic disc appearance compared with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients.MethodsA total of 40 patients with an unchanged RNFL defect for more than 5 years and normal optic disc appearance, who were presumed as ...

Objective: To investigate the preferences of frail older people for individualised multidisciplinary rehabilitation to promote recovery from a hip fracture. Design: Discrete Choice Experiment. Setting: Acute and Rehabilitation Hospitals in Adelaide, South Australia. Subjects: Eighty-seven patients with recent hip fracture (16 living in residential care facilities prior to fracture). Methods: ...

The displacement effect of cylindrical ionization chambers is taken into account either by an effective point of measurement (EPOM) or, alternatively, by using a displacement correction factor. The dependence of these effects on water was examined as a function of the cavity radius for (60)Co gamma radiation in a previous ...

PI3 K, mTOR and NOTCH pathways are frequently dysregulated in T-ALL. Blockade of PI3 K and mTOR with the dual inhibitor PI-103 decreased proliferation in 15 T-ALL cell lines tested, inducing cell death in 3. Combined PI3K/mTOR/NOTCH inhibition (with a gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI)) led to enhanced cell-cycle arrest and to subsequent cell ...

Denitrifying bacteria have variable ability to perform efficient and balanced denitrification during oxygen depletion. NO is often assumed to exert a positive feedback in the transcription of denitrification genes, since NO-dependent activators have been identified. The regulatory network of denitrification is complex, however, and the significance of NO signalling needs ...

This article reports a simple dipping method for the detection of cyanide ions in water and biological samples, such as blood, using chitosan-gold nanoparticle (CH-Au NP) composite films prepared using CH-Au NP colloids. Here, gold nanoparticles were generated by heating (to ∼80 °C) a solution of chitosan and gold chloride, ...

The criteria used to establish dietary reference values are discussed and it is suggested that the too often the "need" they aim to satisfy is at the best vaguely specified. The proposition is considered that if we aim to establish optimal nutrition we will gain from considering psychological in addition ...

The conventional lumbar separation was performed by removing soft tissue, subsidiary structures and leaving only the vertebral body. The vertebral body was cut into two halves along the median sagittal plane, keeping the upper and lower end plates of each half, which were subsequently used for biomechanical, morphological and density ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Clinical Bioinformatics is currently growing and is based on the integration of clinical and omics data aiming at the development of personalized medicine. Thus the introduction of novel technologies able to investigate the relationship among clinical states and biological machineries may help the development of this field. For ...

Supercritical fluids possess the unique properties of behaving like liquids and gases, above their critical point. Supercritical fluid technology has recently emerged as a green and novel technique for various processes such as solubility enhancement of poorly soluble drugs, plasticization of polymers, surface modification, nanosizing and nanocrystal modification, and chromatographic ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Many contemporary systems for neurorehabilitation utilize 3D virtual environments (VEs) that allow for training patients' hand or arm movements. In the current paper we comparatively test the effectiveness of two characteristics of VEs in rehabilitation training when utilizing a 3D haptic interaction device: Stereo Visualization (monoscopic vs stereoscopic ...

Two-partner secretion (TPS) systems use β-barrel proteins of the Omp85-TpsB superfamily to transport large exoproteins across the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. The Bordetella FHA/FhaC proteins are prototypical of TPS systems in which the exoprotein contains a large C-terminal prodomain that is removed during translocation. Although it is known that ...

A wild badger (Meles meles) with a severe nodular dermatitis was presented for post mortem examination. Numerous cutaneous granulomas with superficial ulceration were present especially on head, dorsum, and forearms were found at necropsy. Histopathological examination of the skin revealed a severe granulomatous dermatitis with abundant intralesional round to spherical ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Vegetative buds provide plants in temperate environments the possibility for growth and reproduction when environmental conditions are favorable. In grapevine, crucial developmental events take place within buds during two growing seasons in consecutive years. The first season, the shoot apical meristem within the bud differentiates all the basic ...

AIM: To identify enterococci from the fermentation of milk for the production of nono, an African fermented dairy product, to determine the technological properties for suitability as starter cultures and safety as probiotics. METHODS AND RESULTS: Enterococcus faecium CM4 and Enterococcus faecium 2CM1, were isolated from raw cow's milk. The ...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing idiopathic disease. In clinical terms, most patients require lifelong medication associated with possible unpleasant adverse effects. Oral colon-specific drug delivery systems are designed to deliver therapeutic drugs to the inflamed colon to target pathophysiological manifestations of IBD. The aim is to maintain ...

The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Asia and sub-Sahara Africa is alarming. With quarter of a billion people chronically infected worldwide and at risk of developing liver cancer, the need for a prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination approach that can effectively induce protective responses against the different genotypes ...

The sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) directs the uptake and concentration of iodide in thyroid cells. We have extended the use of NIS-mediated radioiodine therapy to prostate cancer. We have developed a prostate tumor specific conditionally replicating adenovirus that expresses hNIS (Ad5PB_RSV-NIS). For radiovirotherapy to be effective in humans, the radioiodine dose ...

Green tea has been shown to ameliorate symptoms of metabolic syndrome in vivo. The effects could be due, in part, to modulation of postprandial blood glucose levels. We examined the effect of coadministration of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG, 100 mg/kg, i.g.) on blood glucose levels following oral administration of common corn starch ...

Fungal biocontrol agents have great potential in integrated pest management. However, poor efficacy and sensitivity to various adverse factors have hampered their wide application. In eukaryotic cells, Hog1 kinase plays a critical role in stress responses. In this study, MaHog1 (GenBank accession number EFY85878), encoding a member of the Hog1/Sty1/p38 ...

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) is considered the method of choice for bladder emptying when neurological or non-neurological causes make normal voiding impossible or incomplete. The outcome is overall good, also in the long-term. There is neither one best technique ...

In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been applied for instantaneous assessment of processes occurring at the site of regenerating nerve. The technique proved to be especially useful when an artificial implant should have been observed but have not yet been extensively investigated before for assessment of nerve tissue. ...

Context: In the present investigation, acute and subacute toxicity of the biogenic Se nanoparticles (Se NPs) has been reported. Objective: To characterize the Se NPs produced by a bacterium species and to evaluate their toxicity and impact on clinical chemistry and hematological parameters of NMRI mice. Materials and methods: The ...

MyoD is one of the helix-loop-helix proteins regulating muscle-specific gene expression in tilapia. Tight regulation of MyoD protein level is necessary for the precise regulation of skeletal muscle development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of regulatory RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Increasing evidences have suggested that miRNAs play an ...

ABSTRACT: Viruses with large genomes encode numerous proteins that do not directly participate in virus biogenesis but rather modify key functional systems of infected cells. We report that a distinct group of giant viruses infecting unicellular eukaryotes that includes Organic Lake Phycodnaviruses and Phaeocystis globosa virus encode predicted proteorhodopsins that ...

Hydridosilicate anions ([ArSiH(4) ](-) and [SiH(6) ](2-) ) were stabilized as ligands in diruthenium SiH σ-complexes [{(PhBP(Ph) (3) )Ru}(2) (μ-Cl)(μ-η(3) ,η(3) -H(4) SiAr)] (Ar=2-MeOC(6) H(4) , Mes, Ph) and [{(PhBP(Ph) (3) )Ru}(2) (μ-η(4) ,η(4) -H(6) Si)]. These complexes were formed under mild conditions and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, NMR ...

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often develop a spectrum of cognitive symptoms that can evolve into dementia. Dopamine (DA) replacement medications, though improving motor symptoms, can exert both positive and negative effects on cognitive ability, depending on the severity of the disease and the specific skill being tested. By considering ...

Elemental helium is a prototypical noble gas and its atom sets the records for many physicochemical properties. With its two electrons in the closed 1s shell, He is the smallest, the least polarizable, the most difficult to ionize, the hardest (in Pearson's sense) and the most electronegative atom known. Helium ...

Useful diversity: Quantification of modified tRNA nucleobases in different murine and porcine tissues reveals a tissue-specific overall modification content. The modification content correlates with rates of protein synthesis in vitro, suggesting a direct link between tRNA modification levels and tissue-specific translational efficiency.

Background:Multiple studies associate low vitamin D levels with cancer morbidity and mortality. However, few studies measured vitamin D in pediatric patients with malignancy. Our aim was to assess vitamin D status in a large cohort of pediatric cancer patients and define risk factors for deficiency.Methods:Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was measured ...

Introduction.  Monogamous female sexually transmitted infection (STI) patients are at high risk of recurrent STI, but there is no study investigating their risk behaviors. Aim.  We investigated the prevalence of male condom use and associated factors among monogamous STI female patients. Main Outcome Measures.  Independent variables included socio-demographic characteristics, STI ...

The year 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the Cys loop ligand-gated ion channel superfamily of neurotransmitter receptors. This minireview series celebrates this with a series of articles reviewing current information for each of the family members, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, glycine receptors, GABA(A) receptors, serotonin-3 (5-HT(3)) receptors, ...

In recent years immense progress has been made towards understanding the functions of effectors from a range of plant pathogens, such as oomycetes, fungi, bacteria, and nematodes. Like plant pathogens, aphids form close associations with host plants, featuring signal exchange between the two organisms. While feeding and probing, aphids deliver ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States and worldwide. While lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) has been proven to be effective in delaying or preventing the onset of POAG in many large-scale prospective studies, one of the recent hot topics ...

OBJECTIVE: We discuss the use of structural models for the analysis of biosurveillance related data. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a combination of real and simulated data, we have constructed a data set that represents a plausible time series resulting from surveillance of a large scale bioterrorist anthrax attack in Miami. ...

BackgroundAromatase inhibitors (AIs) frequently lead to the AI-induced musculoskeletal syndrome (AIMSS). Looking into its pathophysiology, 6 months of AI therapy thickens the tendon sheath with intra-articular fluid (IAF) retention and loss of grip strength. We here report 24-month follow-up data.Patients and methodsA prospective cohort study of 33 postmenopausal breast cancer ...

OBJECTIVE: To clarify whether genetic and common infectious backgrounds are distinct, according to anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibody status in Japanese patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO). METHODS: We analysed human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 and HLA-DPB1 alleles, and IgG antibodies against Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumoniae, varicella zoster virus and Epstein-Barr virus nuclear ...

Very recently, two novel Sc(3)NC-based cluster fullerenes Sc(3)NC@C(80) (Wang et. al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 16362) and Sc(3)NC@C(78) (Wu et. al. J. Phys. Chem. C 2011, 115, 23755) were prepared and characterized, respectively. Inspired by these findings, the possibility of encapsulating Sc(3)NC cluster in the C(84) fullerene is ...

We present a method to fabricate individually addressable junctions of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) that builds on previous studies which have shown that soft conductive polymer top contacts virtually eliminate shorts through the SAMs. We demonstrate devices with nanoscale lateral dimensions, representing an order of magnitude reduction in device area, with ...

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma receptors B4 (EphB4) knockdown on the development of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in vivo. Methods: We constructed recombinant lentiviral vectors (Lv) Lv-shRNA-EphB4 to specifically knock down the expression of EphB4. The mRNA and protein expression of EphB4 was investigated by ...

Background: Soil-dwelling Bacillus nematocida B16 can kill Caenorhabditis elegans via a Trojan horse-like mechanism. However, colonization is a key problem that must be solved during the infection process. Aims: To study the molecular mechanism involved in the colonization of B. nematocida B16 against the host C. elegans. Methods: GFP-expressing strain ...

Abstract We assessed the retrospective applicability and prognostic value of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) classification of chronic GVHD (cGVHD) in 159 consecutive patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Seventy-four patients (46.5%) resulted affected by late-acute GVHD (n=19; 25.7%), classic cGVHD (n= 44; 59.4%) and overlap syndrome ...

Deregulation of apoptosis is a hallmark of carcinogenesis. We here combine live cell imaging and systems modeling to investigate caspase-dependent apoptosis execution subsequent to mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) in several cancer cell lines. We demonstrate that, although most cell lines that underwent MOMP also showed robust and fast activation ...

Anthropogenic range expansion and cultural practices have modified the distribution, abundance and genetic diversity of domesticated organisms, thereby altering multitrophic assemblages through space and time. The putative Mesoamerican domestication centre of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., in Mexico allows investigating the effects of plant domestication on the genetic structure ...

The PALB2 protein is associated with breast cancer susceptibility and Fanconi anemia. Notably, PALB2 is also required for DNA repair by homologous recombination (HR). The mechanisms that regulate PALB2, and the functional significance of its interaction with the BRCA1 breast cancer susceptibility protein, are poorly understood, however. Here, to better ...

BackgroundOne million people worldwide benefit from chronic dialysis, with an increased rate in Western countries of 5% yearly. Owing to increased incidence of cancer in dialyzed patients, the management of these patients is challenging for oncologists/nephrologists.Patients and methodsThe CANcer and DialYsis (CANDY) retrospective multicenter study included patients under chronic dialysis ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Muscle symptoms in systemic sclerosis (SSc) may originate from altered skeletal muscle microcirculation, which can be investigated by means of blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: After ethics committee approval and written consent, 11 consecutive SSc patients (5 men, mean age 52.6 years, mean ...