The present study was undertaken to evaluate the hypothesis that the antihypertensive action of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibition is mediated by an increased availability in intrarenal epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) with consequent improvement of renal haemodynamic autoregulatory efficiency and of the pressure-natriuresis relationship. Ren-2 transgenic rats (TGR), a model of ...

Fluorescent gold nanodots (GNDs) are an important kind of nanoprobes. Herein, the application of galvanic replacement for the preparation of fluorescent GNDs is reported. Using presynthesized and size-controlled Ag nanodots (Ag NDs) as templates, the as-prepared GNDs have strong fluorescence (quantum yields ∼10%) with high stability and surface bioactivity. The ...

The stepwise synthesis of ionizable p-tert-butylcalix[5]arenes 1a∙H and 1b∙H, featuring a fixed cone cavity endowed with a carboxyl moiety at the narrow rim, is described. Single crystal X-ray analyses have shown that in the solid state 1a∙H and 1b∙H adopt a cone-out conformation with the carboxylic OH group pointing in, ...

The finite field para-ferrimagnetic phase transition in the axial next-nearest-neighbor Ising (ANNNI) model is studied by using the linear perturbation real space renormalization group transformation. The method is examined in systems of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Ising chains coupled by ferromagnetic interactions in the longitudinal field. As one would expect, the ...

Abstract Objective: To measure plasma nitric oxide (NO), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and VEGF gene polymorphisms in fetal circulation in severe preeclampsia. Methods: Cord vessels of singleton gestations complicated with severe preeclampsia 36 weeks or more (n=31) and controls were sampled upon delivery for ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common condition worldwide that has many negative effects on people who were afflicted with it, especially on their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a commonly used method for evaluating EDS in English-speaking countries. This paper reported ...

Plasma citrulline has been reported to be a good indicator of intestinal functional volume in patients with intestinal dysfunction. We reconfirmed the facts and also investigated the dynamic changes of plasma citrulline in acute phase patients with intestinal dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured plasma citrulline in 6 patients with ...

The 3,3'-bioxindole derivatives were constructed in a single step via an efficient Rh(2)(OAc)(4) catalyzed reaction of diazoacetamides with isatins. This novel method provides an alternative pathway towards 3-hydroxy-3,3'-bioxindoles in good yield (up to 78%) with high diastereoselectivity (up to 95 : 5).

We synthesized a diosgenyl saponin bearing a unique disaccharide from the natural product β-hederin, together with twelve glycosylated derivatives and determined their cytotoxicity against five different human cancer cell lines. Most of them showed weak cytotoxicity, with the exception of compound , diosgenyl α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1→4)]-α-l-arabinopyranoside, which exhibited strong cytotoxicity against A549 ...

SUMMARY Rotavirus is a common viral cause of severe diarrhoea. For the underlying cause of rotavirus seasonality, the meteorological factor has been suspected, whereas quantitative correlation between seasonality and meteorological factor has not been fully investigated. In this study, we investigated the correlation of temporal patterns of the isolation rate ...

Episodes of bleeding in people with haemophilia (PWH) are associated with reduced activity and limitations in physical performance. Within the scope of the 'Haemophilia & Exercise Project' (HEP) PWH were trained in a sports therapy programme. Aim of this study was to investigate subjective and objective physical performance in HEP-participants ...

Aim:  The study aims to describe the prevalence of weight loss behaviours and weight-related concerns among a nationally representative sample of adolescents in New Zealand. Methods:  Data for this study were collected as part of Youth'07, a nationally representative survey of the health and well-being of 9107 secondary school students ...

Immune tolerance induction (ITI) can eliminate factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitory antibodies that appear during FVIII replacement therapy. If first-line ITI fails, switching to a different FVIII concentrate, especially one containing von Willebrand factor (VWF), has been advocated. The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of ...

Propensity for developing coronary heart disease (CHD) is linked with Framingham-defined cardiovascular risk factors and elevated inflammatory biomarkers. Cardiovascular risk and inflammatory biomarkers were evaluated in ARIES, a Phase IIIb/IV clinical trial in which 515 antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected subjects initially received abacavir/lamivudine+atazanavir/ritonavir for 36 weeks. Subjects who were virologically suppressed by ...

Acute intestinal GVHD remains a major source of morbidity after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). α4β7 integrin is a cell surface molecule that mediates lymphocyte trafficking to intestinal tissue. In this analysis, peripheral blood was collected at the time of presentation of symptoms of acute GVHD and before any treatment. ...

Long aromatic polyamide chains are prepared from the corresponding monomers. The resultant polymer adopts a hollow helical conformation that is stabilized by intramolecular H-bonding interaction between side chains.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of antibodies. SLE has been associated with placental pathology, a finding that is also the determinant in preeclampsia (PE). Genetic evidence and serologic reports suggest laminin-1 (LM-111) as an immunogenic molecule and its polymorphic gene as a ...

Electric field control of magnetization is one of the promising avenues for achieving high-density energy-efficient magnetic data storage. Ferroelectric materials can be especially useful for that purpose as a source of very large switchable electric fields when interfaced with a ferromagnet. Organic ferroelectrics, such as poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), have an ...

Malaria tropica is a devastating infectious disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum. This parasite synthesizes vitamin B6 de novo via the pyridoxal 5-phosphate (PLP) synthase enzymatic complex consisting of PfPdx1 and PfPdx2 proteins. Biosynthesis of PLP is largely performed by PfPdx1, ammonia provided by PfPdx2 subunits, is condensed together with d-ribose ...

To explore the experiences and educational needs of parents learning to use an Implanted Central Venous Access Device (IVAD) to administer clotting factor to their child with haemophilia. Parents of children with haemophilia who had learnt to administer clotting factor via IVAD attended focus groups to discuss their experiences of ...

Aim:  To audit clinical practice and assess early outcomes for infants with epileptic spasms after an agreed initial treatment protocol was adopted. Methods:  We reviewed all cases of epileptic spasms diagnosed between July 2007 and June 2009 and assessed adherence to protocol, remission by day 14, spasm recurrence and side ...

In this paper, the potential applications of metal-organic framework (MOF) materials as fiber coatings for the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water samples were explored. Fibers coated with MIL-53(Al, Cr, Fe) materials were fabricated by an adhesive method for SPME. The quantitation was performed by gas ...

Various large-area 2D gold nanorod arrays are achieved on plasma-etched block copolymer templates. With the help of capillary forces, aqueous gold nanorods assembled on the templates show good position selectivity and high coverage of the grooves. Furthermore, these nanorod arrays can transform into gold nanowires by a post-etching process.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The brown mussel Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) is a dominant constituent of intertidal communities and a strong invader with multiple non-native populations distributed around the world. In a previous study, two polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed and used to determine population-level genetic diversity in invasive and native P. ...

Rehabilitating walking in ambulatory patients post-stroke, with training that is safe, task-specific, intensive, and of sufficient duration, can be challenging. Some challenges can be met by using body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT). However, it is not known to what degree walking characteristics are similar during BWSTT and overground walking. In addition, ...

A theoretical model is introduced to evaluate the ultimate resolution of plasmonic lithography using a ridge aperture. The calculated and experimental results of the line array pattern depth are compared for various half pitches. The theoretical analysis predicts that the resolution of plasmonic lithography strongly depends on the ridge gap, ...

To determine the relationship of muscle activation, force production, and cycle characteristics to O(2) extraction during high- and lower-intensity double poling (DP), nine well-trained male cross-country skiers performed DP on a treadmill for 3 min at 90% VO(2peak) followed by 6 min at 70%. During the final minute at each workload, arterial, ...

A new fabrication method of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stencil embedded microwell plate is proposed and applied to a localized culture of Purkinje neurons (PNs) and neural stem cells (NSCs). A microwell plate combines a PDMS stencil and well plate. The PDMS stencil was fabricated by spin casting from an SU-8 ...

Marine aerosol is highly enriched in iodine, mostly in the form of iodate (IO3-) ions, compared to its relative abundance in seawater. This paper describes a laboratory study of the photochemical reduction of IO3- in the presence of humic acid. Spectroscopic analysis showed that ~ 20% of IO3- was converted ...

The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) plays an important role in regulating angiogenesis, which is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Genetic variations of HIF1A (coding HIF-1α) have been shown to influence an individual's susceptibility to many human tumors; however, evidence on associations between HIF1A single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and prostate cancer (PCa) ...

The flavanone hesperetin is known to decrease basal glucose uptake, although the inhibitory mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we used MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells to investigate the molecular pathways affected by hesperetin. The results indicate that the suppression of glucose uptake is caused by the down-regulation of glucose transporter 1 ...

A platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) layer is used for the first time as an ion-to-electron transducer in a solid-state ion-selective electrode (SC-ISE). The electrode was prepared by adding the PtNPs as an intermediate layer between the ionophore-doped solvent polymeric membrane and the electrical conductor. The PtNPs layer was characterized by high ...

Background: The definitions of performance, competence and competency are not very clear in the literature. The assessment of performance and the selection of tools for this purpose depend upon a deep understanding of each of the above terms and the factors influencing performance. Aim: In this article, we distinguish between ...

AIM: To investigate nondestructively the percentage of 3D voids and marginal gaps in a pre-defined interface volume of interest (VOI) within root fillings produced by Thermafil Obturators with either a hydrophobic epoxy-resin-based sealer (AH Plus) or a hydrophilic flowable calcium-silicate sealer [mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) Flow]. METHODOLOGY: Sixteen single root ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: There is a need for an adherence measure, to monitor adherence services in clinical practice, which can distinguish between different types of non-adherence and measure changes over time. In order to be inclusive of all patients it needs to be able to be administered to both patients and ...

The two-phase thermodynamic (2PT) model is generalized to determine the thermodynamic properties of mixtures. In this method, the vibrational density of states (DoS), obtained from the Fourier transform of the velocity autocorrelation function, and quantum statistics are combined to determine the entropy and free energy from the trajectory of a ...

Previously, we established a model in which physiologically adequate function of the autologous β cells was recovered in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice after the onset of hyperglycemia by rendering them hemopoietic chimera. These mice were termed antea-diabetic. In the current study, we addressed the role of T regulatory (Treg) cells ...

Chemotherapy, especially if prolonged, disrupts attention, working memory and speed of processing in humans. Most cancer drugs that cross the blood-brain barrier also decrease adult neurogenesis. Because new neurons are generated in the hippocampus, this decrease may contribute to the deficits in working memory and related thought processes. The neurophysiological ...

Staphylococcus epidermidis infections are common complications of prosthetic device implantation. SdrF, a surface protein, appears to play a critical role in the initial colonization step by adhering to type I collagen and Dacron(TM) . The role of ionic interactions in S. epidermidis adherence to prosthetic material was examined. SdrF was ...

Abstract Objective: To determine amniotic fluid myeloperoxidase concentration in women with preterm prelabor rupture of the membranes with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity and histological chorioamnionitis. Methods: One hundred eighty-one women with singleton pregnancies with a gestational age between 24+0 and 36+6 weeks were included in this study. Amniocenteses ...

Using a bistriazolate ligand and tetrahedral Zn(II) ion, we synthesized a flexible porous coordination polymer func-tionalized by pairs of uncoordinated triazolate nitrogen donors, which can be used as guest chelating sites to give very high CO2 adsorption enthalpy and CO2/N2 selectivity. The dynamic CO2 sorption behavior can be well monitored ...

Humic acid (HA), a group of high-molecular weight organic compounds characterized by an ability to bind heavy metals, is normally found in natural water. Although the impairment of vascular endothelial cells in the presence of humic substances has been reported to be involved in some diseases, the mechanisms responsible for ...

What is already known about this subject Little is known about the predictive ability of anthropometric indices in adolescence for prediction of early adulthood metabolic syndrome (MetS). There are controversies about the predictive power of body mass index (BMI) vs. waist circumference (WC) for prediction of MetS in late adolescence; ...

This study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified single-armed suture technique for microsurgical vasoepididymostomy (VE) in patients with epididymal obstructive azoospermia. From September 2011 to December 2011, microsurgical two-suture longitudinal intussusception VEs were performed using our modified single-armed suture technique in 17 men with epididymal obstructive azoospermia at ...

Background: The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) has been proposed as a method to address the deficiencies of in-training assessment for junior doctors. Aim: Our study aimed to determine the feasibility and value of adding mini-CEX assessments to the existing assessment processes for an intern cohort in the emergency department (ED). ...

Hydrogen solubility at 298 K and 30 bar in hybrid sorbents consisting of n-hexane confined in MIL-101 is found to be 22 times larger than in sole n-hexane. The enhanced solubility in MIL-101, found to be 3 times larger than in mesoporous silica of similar pore size, highlights the key ...

Syntaxin 11 (STX11) controls vesicular trafficking and is a key player in exocytosis. Since Stx11 mutations are causally associated with a familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL-4), we wanted to clarify whether STX11 is functionally important for key immune cell populations. This was studied in primary cells obtained from newly generated Stx11(-/-) ...

Mutations in the AFG3L2 gene have been linked to spinocerebellar ataxia type 28 and spastic ataxia-neuropathy syndrome in humans; however, the pathogenic mechanism is still unclear. AFG3L2 encodes a subunit of the mitochondrial m-AAA protease, previously implicated in quality control of misfolded inner mitochondrial membrane proteins and in regulatory functions ...

Precision hydrodynamic controls of microparticles (e.g., microbeads and cells) are critical to diverse lab-on-a-chip applications. Microfluidic particulate-based arraying techniques are widely used; however, achieving full microarray resettability without sacrificing trapping performance has remained a significant challenge. Here we present a single-layer hydrodynamic methodology for releasing high numbers of microparticles after ...

Nanostructured fayalite (α-Fe(2)SiO(4)) with a large volume fraction of interfaces is synthesized for the first time via single-step mechanosynthesis, starting from a 2α-Fe(2)O(3) + 2Fe + 3SiO(2) mixture. The nonequilibrium state of the as-prepared silicate is characterized by the presence of deformed polyhedra in the interface/surface regions of nanoparticles.