While medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may affect survival in RA, few studies take into account the propensity for medication use, which may reflect selection bias in treatment allocation in survival models. We undertook this study to examine the relationship between methotrexate (MTX) use and mortality in RA, ...

An investigative study was carried out in Langat River to determine the heavy metal pollution in the sediment with 22 sampling stations selected for the collection of sediment samples. The sediment samples were digested and analyzed for extractable metal ((48)Cd, (29)Cu, (30)Zn, (33)As, (82)Pb) using the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry ...

This article proposes an alternative to increase the reliability and reproducibility of a colorimetric method to measure arsenic (As) concentrations. The method of analysis developed incorporates a digital analysis technique to eliminate the operator dependence of results, and As concentrations are quantitatively determined from digital levels computed from photographs of ...

A pharmaceutical product, Trimethoprim (TMP), IUPAC name: 5-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)pyrimidine-2,4-diamine was investigated, as inhibitor to prevent carbon steel corrosion in acidic environments. The study was performed using weight loss and electrochemical measurements, in temperatures ranging between 25-55°C. The surface morphology before and after corrosion of carbon steel in 1.0 M HCl solution in ...

The objectives of this study were to identify multi-level stressors at the DNA/biochemical level to the community level in fish in an urban stream and to develop an integrative health response (IHR) model for ecological health diagnosis. A pristine control site (S (c) ) and an impacted site (S (i) ...

This study was part of a larger effort that involves evaluating alternatives to upgrading secondary treatment systems in the United Arab Emirates for the removal of nutrients. In this study, six modified bentonite (BNT) phosphate adsorbents were prepared using solutions that contained hydroxy-polycations of aluminum (Al-BNT), iron (Fe-BNT), and mixtures ...

This study was conducted to investigate the current contamination status of polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs) in sediments from the mainstream and 22 primary tributaries of the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges Reservoir region. To accomplish this, the concentrations of 22 polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) congeners, 27 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) ...

Autoantigen presentation by HLA-DR molecules is thought to be a central component of many autoimmune diseases, but identifying disease-relevant autoantigens has been a difficult challenge. In this study we aimed to identify autoantigens in patients with antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis, in which infection-induced autoimmunity is thought to play an important role. ...

This study attempts a treatment strategy of a bleached kraft pulp mill effluent with Rhizopus oryzae or Pleurotus sajor caju encapsulated on silica-alginate (biocomposite of silica-alginate-fungi, with the purpose of reducing its potential impact in the environment. Active (alive) or inactive (death by sterilization) Rhizopus oryzae or Pleurotus sajor caju ...

In this investigation we focus on the concentration of elements in Viscum album and its host (Sorbus aucuparia) as bioindicators of urban pollution. These broadly widespread species, very common in polluted areas may provide important information to monitor environmental quality throughout the year, especially for V. album. Cd, Co, Cr, ...

A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess whether urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) could serve as a biomarker to assess the effect of PAHs on cellular and molecular changes of sperm. Urine and semen samples were collected from a total of 65 healthy coke oven workers. Sperm quality parameters (concentration, motility, vitality, ...

To determine the extent to which thigh intermuscular fat (IMF) and quadriceps muscle (QM) volumes explained variance in knee extensor strength and physical performance in women with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (ROA) and without. Baseline data from 125 women (age ≥50 years) in the Osteoarthritis Initiative study, with or at risk ...

The present study evaluated the toxic potential and physicochemical characteristics of waste water generated in nitrocellulose production, including effluents from delignification, bleaching, nitration and mixture (composed of these three effluents), from a plant in the Paraiba Valley, São Paulo, Brazil. The test organisms used for toxicity assays were Daphnia similis, ...

The aims of the present study were to determine PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) concentrations in various sources of water intended for human consumption, use these data to calculate the possible uptake via water as well as to estimate the water related health risk to consumers. A total of 177 ...

The objectives of this investigation were to examine whether airborne particles induce DNA damaging and estrogen-disrupting effects and to explore the relationships between them. In this study, airborne particulate was collected at an urban, a suburban, and a rural site in central Taiwan. The organic solvent extracts of airborne particulate ...

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) ligands also known as dioxin-like compounds, constitute a substantial part of the total toxicity from many pollution sources, including pulp mill effluents. The aim of this article was to evaluate dioxin-like activity in different kraft mill effluents by a combination of yeast bioassays and gas chromatography-mass ...

Heterozygous mutations in the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) gene lead to partial resistance to IGF1 and contribute to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) with postnatal growth failure. To date, homozygous mutations of this receptor have not been described. A 13.5-year-old girl born from healthy first-cousin parents presented with severe IUGR and persistent ...

We describe an optical detection technique that delivers high signal-to-noise discrimination to enable a multi-parameter flow cytometer that combines high performance, robustness, compactness and low cost. The enabling technique is termed "spatially modulated detection" and generates a time-dependent signal as a continuously fluorescing (bio-) particle traverses an optical transmission pattern ...

Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effects of garlic and ginger oils on hematological and biochemical health characteristics of sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax. Fish were exposed to garlic oil (0.01 or 0.02 mL/L), ginger oil (0.01 or 0.02 mL/L), or a combination of the two oils (each oil at a ...

CONTEXT Extensive observational evidence indicates that youth in high-poverty neighborhoods exhibit poor mental health, although not all children may be affected similarly. OBJECTIVE To use experimental evidence to assess whether gender and family health problems modify the mental health effects of moving from high- to low-poverty neighborhoods. DESIGN Randomized controlled ...

CONTEXT Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is suspected of being a causative factor in psychiatric disorders based on case reports or studies involving large structural anomalies. OBJECTIVE To determine the involvement of BDNF in human psychopathology. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization data from 7 molecular diagnostic centers including ...

To evaluate the relationship between the parenting style of an adolescent's peers' parents and an adolescent's substance use. Longitudinal survey. Adolescents across the United States were interviewed at school and at home. Nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States. Authoritative vs neglectful parenting style of adolescent's parents and ...

Development of small molecule drug-like inhibitors blocking both nitric oxide synthase and NFκB could offer a synergistic therapeutic approach in the prevention and treatment of inflammation and cancer. During the course of evaluating the biological potential of a commercial compound library, 2-phenylindole (1) displayed inhibitory activity against nitrite production and ...

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are an important source of organic carbon, and affect a range of ecosystem functions in arid and semiarid environments. Yet the impact of grazing disturbance on crust properties and soil CO(2) efflux remain poorly studied, particularly in African ecosystems. The effects of burial under wind-blown sand, ...

Variability of above-ground net primary production (ANPP) of arid to sub-humid ecosystems displays a closer association with precipitation when considered across space (based on multiyear averages for different locations) than through time (based on year-to-year change at single locations). Here, we propose a theory of controls of ANPP based on ...

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are key biotic components of dryland ecosystems worldwide that control many functional processes, including carbon and nitrogen cycling, soil stabilization and infiltration. Regardless of their ecological importance and prevalence in drylands, very few studies have explicitly evaluated how climate change will affect the structure and composition ...

Research on ecosystem and societal response to global environmental change typically considers the effects of shifts in mean climate conditions. There is, however, some evidence of ongoing changes also in the variance of hydrologic and climate fluctuations. A relatively high interannual variability is a distinctive feature of the hydrologic regime ...

Individual species respond to climate change by altering their abundance, distribution and phenology. Less is known, however, about how climate change affects multitrophic interactions, and its consequences for food-web dynamics. Here, we investigate the effect of future changes in rainfall patterns on detritivore-plant-herbivore interactions in a semiarid region in southern ...

Climate finance investments and international policy are driving new community-based projects incorporating payments for ecosystem services (PES) to simultaneously store carbon and generate livelihood benefits. Most community-based PES (CB-PES) research focuses on forest areas. Rangelands, which store globally significant quantities of carbon and support many of the world's poor, have ...

The increase in nutrient availability as a consequence of elevated nitrogen (N) deposition is an important component of global environmental change. This is likely to substantially affect the functioning and provisioning of ecosystem services by drylands, where water and N are often limited. We tested mechanisms of chronic N-enrichment-induced plant ...

Desert species respond strongly to infrequent, intense pulses of precipitation. Consequently, indigenous flora has developed a rich repertoire of life-history strategies to deal with fluctuations in resource availability. Examinations of how future climate change will affect the biota often forecast negative impacts, but these-usually correlative-approaches overlook precipitation variation because they ...

Drylands are one of the most diverse yet highly vulnerable social-ecological systems on Earth. Water scarcity has contributed to high levels of heterogeneity, variability and unpredictability, which together have shaped the long coadaptative process of coupling humans and nature. Land degradation and desertification in drylands are some of the largest ...

Drylands occupy large portions of the Earth, and are a key terrestrial biome from the socio-ecological point of view. In spite of their extent and importance, the impacts of global environmental change on them remain poorly understood. In this introduction, we review some of the main expected impacts of global ...

Restricting-type anorexia nervosa (AN-R), characterized by severe emaciation with long-term food restriction, is often difficult to treat. The present study investigated the overall intelligence quotient (IQ) scores and cognitive functions of patients with AN-R. Fourteen female inpatients with AN-R (body mass index 12.84 ± 0.41 kg/m(2)) and 10 healthy female ...

To report the clinical and histologic features of cystic benign melanosis. This case series reports on the clinical and histopathologic features of 3 patients with enlarging, cystic, brown, pigmented, conjunctival lesions. Slit-lamp examination showed cystic melanotic lesions of bulbar conjunctiva. Histopathologic examination of the biopsy specimens showed epithelial lined cysts ...

To study the efficacy and safety of Category III DOTS treatment (intermittent thrice-weekly rifampicin [RMP], isoniazid [INH] and pyrazinamide for 2 months, followed by RMP and INH for 4 months) under India's Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in patients with uncomplicated small unilateral pleural effusion (<1500 ml). This prospective, multicentre, ...

Antenatal tobacco and alcohol exposure are established risk factors for premature birth and an independent risk factor for cerebral palsy. Both exert adverse effects on fetal development. In children with cerebral palsy, whether antenatal exposure to tobacco or alcohol is associated with a difference in clinical profile remains unknown. The ...

Summary.  It is unclear whether the current threshold for 'high' hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA level (800 000 IU/mL) is optimal for predicting sustained virological response (SVR). We retrospectively analysed pretreatment HCV RNA levels and SVR rates in 1529 mono-infected and 176 HIV-HCV co-infected patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40 kD) plus ribavirin. ...

Narcolepsy is characterized by recurrent brief attacks of irresistible sleepiness. Signs can begin during childhood. However, diagnoses are frequently delayed by 10-15 years because of unfamiliarity with pediatric narcolepsy and variable presentations of its associated features (cataplexy, hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis). Therefore, patients may remain untreated during their formative ...

: Colonoscopy has an established role in reducing the burden of colorectal cancer through early detection and removal of polyps. For endoscopically unresectable polyps, colectomy is generally indicated to prevent malignant transformation or to remove cancer already present. : This study aimed to determine the incidence of malignancy and the ...

Ohtahara syndrome and early myoclonic encephalopathy are the earliest presenting of the epileptic encephalopathies. They are typically distinguished from each other according to specific clinical and etiologic criteria. Nonetheless, considerable overlap exists between the two syndromes in terms of clinical presentation, prognosis, and electroencephalographic signature. Newer understandings of underlying etiologies ...

: To describe the manual no-fold push-in technique for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) graft insertion and analyze postoperative endothelial cell loss. : Twenty consecutive patients underwent DSAEK surgery using the manual no-fold push-in technique. This insertion technique uses a 6-mm limbal wound, a Sheets glide, and a Sinskey ...

Oxidative stress, mediated by an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants, contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of asthma. To evaluate the impact of serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) on the pulmonary function of Korean asthma patients. A total of 104 adult asthma patients enrolled from the COREA (Cohort for Reality and ...

Giant axonal neuropathy is a rare autosomal recessive disorder commonly characterized by chronic, progressive dysfunction in the peripheral nervous system. Lesions also can occur in the central nervous system, especially in the brainstem and cerebellum. We present cranial magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings in a 5-year-old Turkish ...

Infectious complications, including sepsis, that often occur after liver transplantation (LT) comprise the most frequent causes of in-hospital death. This study investigated the predictors of post-transplantation infectious complications to establish a strategy with which to improve short-term outcomes after LT. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to assess pre- and ...

: Surgical site infection is a major cause of morbidity after colorectal resections. Despite evidence that preoperative oral antibiotics with mechanical bowel preparation reduce surgical site infection rates, the use of oral antibiotics is decreasing. Currently, the administration of oral antibiotics is controversial and considered ineffective without mechanical bowel preparation. ...

Nuts are an integral part of the Mediterranean food patterns, and their incorporation into the regular diets of human beings is believed to provide many health benefits. The recent recognition of nuts as "heart-healthy" foods by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given a major boost to the positive ...

: Patients with rectal cancer who have a temporary ostomy report good quality of life despite identifying a number of stoma-related difficulties. : This study aimed to qualitatively explore the experiences of patients with rectal cancer who have a temporary ileostomy to better understand the discordant findings of previous quantitative ...

: Initially described in 2008, single-incision laparoscopic colectomy has evolved into a safe and feasible surgical approach. Noted advantages include elimination of trocar-site incisions and improved cosmesis. Additional benefits including reduced abdominal wall trauma, diminished pain, and shorter length of hospitalization have been proposed. Following utilization in over 150 colectomies, ...

The study examined whether maternal serum antibodies from mothers of autistic children preferentially bind to lymphocytes of their autistic children compared with unaffected siblings. In a previous study, maternal serum antibodies from mothers mediated cytotoxicity with complement to lymphocytes of their autistic children. Here, maternal serum antibody binding was examined ...