This article presents an enhanced methodology to align plantar pressure image sequences simultaneously in time and space. The temporal alignment of the sequences is accomplished using B-splines in the time modeling, and the spatial alignment can be attained using several geometric transformation models. The methodology was tested on a dataset ...

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) on the proliferation and function of human osteoblast cells (hFOB 1.19) cultured in vitro and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms to provide a theoretical foundation for clinical applications of EPO in oral implant and restoration therapies. ...

The major structural and enzymatically active protein in spicules from siliceous sponges, e.g., for Suberites domuncula studied here, is silicatein. Silicatein has been established to be the key enzyme that catalyzes the formation of biosilica, a polymer that represents the inorganic scaffold for the spicule. In the present study, it ...

SCOPE: We examined whether flavan-3-ol-enriched dark chocolate, compared with standard dark and white chocolate, beneficially affects platelet function in healthy subjects, and whether this relates to flavan-3-ol bioavailability. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 42 healthy subjects received an acute dose of flavan-3-ol-enriched dark, standard dark or white chocolate, in ...

Unlike random heteropolymers, natural proteins fold into unique ordered structures. Understanding how these are encoded in amino-acid sequences is complicated by energetically unfavourable non-ideal features--for example kinked α-helices, bulged β-strands, strained loops and buried polar groups--that arise in proteins from evolutionary selection for biological function or from neutral drift. Here ...

PURPOSE: Two allosteric modulators of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1 and mGluR5) were evaluated as positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands for mGluR1. METHODS: LY2428703, a full mGluR1 antagonist (IC(50) 8.9 nM) and partial mGluR5 antagonist (IC(50) 118 nM), and LSN2606428, a full mGluR1 and mGluR5 antagonist (IC(50) 35.3 nM and 10.2 nM, ...

A new nickel tellurite oxohalide, Ni(15)Te(12)O(34)Cl(10), has been prepared by chemical vapour transport reactions and the crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1[combining macron] with the pseudomonoclinic cell parameters a = 10.3248(6) Å, b = 10.3249(6) Å, c = 11.6460(8) ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Estrogen receptors alpha (ER) are implicated in many types of female cancers, and are the common target for anti-cancer therapy using selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs, such as tamoxifen). However, cell-type specific and patient-to-patient variability in response to SERMs (from suppression to stimulation of cancer growth), as well ...

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy originating from the precursor of the plasmacytoid dendritic cell. It is very rare and has only recently been recognized as a distinct entity. In this study, we report our experience of BPDCN to review the clinical, pathological features and ...

BACKGROUND: Although papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) often presents as multifocal or bilateral tumors, but whether multifocality or bilaterality is associated with disease recurrence/persistence is controversial. We evaluated the association between multifocality and bilaterality of PTC and disease recurrence/persistence. We also analyzed the location and number of tumors in multifocal PTC. ...

A new approach is proposed for the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) (synthetic antibodies) as soluble nanogels with sizes close to the size of real antibodies. To imprint a molecular memory in particles consisting of only a few polymer chains, an initiator carrying multiple iniferter moieties is used. This ...

This study presents four validation cases of a mid-sized male (M50) full human body finite element model-two lateral sled tests at 6.7 m/s, one sled test at 8.9 m/s, and a lateral drop test. Model results were compared to transient force curves, peak force, chest compression, and number of fractures from the ...

The aim of this study was to investigate retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and macular changes (central subfield thickness, cube average thickness, cube volume) in patients with chronic migraine (CM) without visual impairment using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to compare the results to healthy controls. A total ...

Relaxin-3 is a neuropeptide that is abundantly expressed by discrete brainstem neuron populations that broadly innervate forebrain areas rich in the relaxin-3 G-protein-coupled-receptor, RXFP3. Acute and subchronic central administration of synthetic relaxin-3 or an RXFP3-selective agonist peptide, R3/I5, increase feeding and body weight in rats. Intrahypothalamic injection of relaxin-3 also ...

Earlier studies show that Hes1 expression is oscillatory in neural stem cells but sustained and high in the roof plate and the floor plate, and that such different dynamics of Hes1 expression (oscillatory versus sustained) regulate different proliferation and differentiation characteristics of these cells (active in neural stem cells but ...

ABSTRACT: Stem cells have been touted as a potential source of replacement cells for the treatment of severe-to-profoundly deaf individuals, including possible combined therapy with a cochlear implant. The success of such a therapy is dependent on a number of factors, but of critical importance is the functional incorporation of ...

Necropsies were conducted on 4 Antillean manatees Trichechus manatus manatus that were stranded in single events on the coastal beaches of Puerto Rico from August 2010 to August 2011. Three manatees were emaciated and the gastrointestinal tracts were devoid of digesta. Microscopically, all manatees had severe widespread inflammatory lesions of ...

PURPOSE: We are developing an item bank assessing the impact of diabetic retinopathy (DR) on quality of life (QoL) using a rigorous multi-staged process combining qualitative and quantitative methods. We describe here the first two qualitative phases: content development and item evaluation. METHODS: After a comprehensive literature review, items were ...

Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a useful diagnostic tool for the staging of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review of the usefulness of FDG-PET or PET/CT in monitoring response to treatment in patients with MM. A comprehensive computer literature ...

BACKGROUND: To study national trends in the mastectomy rate for treatment of early stage breast cancer. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, including 256,081 women diagnosed with T1-2 N0-3 M0 breast cancer from 2000 to 2008. We evaluated therapeutic mastectomy rates by the year ...

Conservative management of small vestibular schwannomas is frequently proposed as most tumours do not grow. Anyway, tumour growth is reported in 30-40 % of the cases, so that surgery is consequently generally proposed. We primarily observed 161 patients affected by unilateral vestibular schwannomas. All patients were examined by means of gadolinium-enhanced ...

Abstract CASE HISTORY: A 13 kg 3.5-year-old male neutered Cocker Spaniel presented with a 6-day history of deteriorating hindlimb paresis. Approximately 10 weeks previously the owner reported removing a large number of barley grass seeds from the dog's coat and ears. Eight weeks later the dog was treated for pneumonia, based ...

BACKGROUND: The eyebrow craniotomy is a less invasive alternative approach for accessing anterior skull base lesions, compared to traditional and more extensive exposures. We give a stepwise description of this minimally invasive technique with discussion on the indications, limitations and key aspects of perioperative management. METHODS: Positioning of the head ...

Over the last 25 years, lung imaging has changed our understanding of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Alveolar recruitment, hyperinflation, and positive end- expiratory pressure-induced changes in lung aeration have become evaluable using CT, PET, and ultrasonography. The data have revealed that patients differ, in that the required ventilator settings vary ...

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is typically associated with folate deficiency, which is the result of reduced dietary folate intake, intestinal malabsorption, reduced liver uptake and storage, and increased urinary folate excretion. Folate deficiency favors the progression of liver disease through mechanisms that include its effects on methionine metabolism with consequences ...

Interleukin-12 (IL12) is a cytokine with potential applications in the treatment of cancer given the potent immune response that it triggers, in part due to its ability to stimulate expression of interferon-γ (IFNγ). To avoid the toxicity associated with systemic exposure to IL12, a high-capacity adenoviral vector carrying a liver-specific, ...

We present a case of coronary ectasia and LAD coronary artery aneurysm with angiographic characteristics of Kawasaki disease in a three-yr-old girl two-yr status post-orthotopic heart transplant. Coronary anomalies were noted during initial screening coronary angiography two yr after transplant. Subsequent review of the donor echocardiogram revealed that the LMCA had ...

The direct formation of graphene on various dielectric surfaces is successful via a single-step rapid thermal processing (RTP) of substrates coated with amorphous carbon (C) and nickel (Ni) thin films. High-quality graphene is obtained uniformly on the whole surface of wafers with a controlled number of graphene layers. The monolayer ...

INTRODUCTION: Clostridium difficile stool toxin is detected in 5-20 % of patients with acute exacerbations of ulcerative colitis (UC). There is little data regarding the safety of surgery for UC with concurrent C. difficile. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 23 patients undergoing colectomy for refractory UC complicated by C. ...

Purpose: Multislice computed coronary angiography (MSCT) provides valuable morphological information about coronary artery disease, but precise quantification of coronary stenosis remains difficult. Transthoracic color Doppler echocardiography (TDE) gives a new insight into the functional significance of coronary luminal narrowing. We have tried to assess the additive value of coronary flow ...

To assess the health of ocular surface in a defined urban population, conjunctival goblet cell density and degree of surface squamous metaplasia were utilized as study tools. Two thousand names of those aged between 20 and 79 years from the 2006 electoral register in ward number 63 of Kolkata Corporation area ...

Usual treatment for Helicobacter pylori-induced peptic ulcer includes a 'triple therapy' consisting of two antibiotics (amoxicillin and clarithromycin) and a proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole). The objective of this project work was defined with a view to retain the drug in stomach for better antiulcer activity and substituting one of the ...

BACKGROUND: In patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) late-onset deaths are due to morbid cardiovascular changes (CVCs). Inflammatory and immune-mediated mechanisms are involved in promoting atherosclerosis development in SLE that is reflected in both functional and morphological changes in the cardiovascular system. The aim of our study was to determine ...

A reduction in the availability of cholesterol may limit the cellular proliferation required for cancer growth and metastasis. We tested the hypothesis that statin use begun before a cancer diagnosis is associated with reduced cancer-related mortality. We assessed mortality among patients from the entire Danish population who had received a ...

An effective strategy for significantly increasing the organic transistor mobility with simultaneous reduction of threshold voltage utilizing discontinuous nano-patches of charge-transfer doping layer is demonstrated. By overlaying the nano-patches on top of a given semiconducting film, mobility and threshold voltage of p-type pentacene were remarkably improved to 4.52 cm(2) V(-1) ...

PURPOSE: To develop liquid crystalline phases with monoglycerides, and assess whether the monoglyceride type favors cutaneous over transdermal paclitaxel delivery. METHODS: BRIJ-based lamellar phases were prepared with 0.5% paclitaxel and 20% of either monocaprylin (LP-MC), monomyristolein (LP-MM) or monoolein (LP-MO). Skin electrical resistance, drug release and cutaneous delivery in vitro ...

This paper provides a theoretical assessment of the safety considerations encountered in the simultaneous use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and neurological interventions involving implanted metallic electrodes, such as electrocorticography. Metal implants are subject to magnetic forces due to fast alternating magnetic fields produced by the TMS coil. The question ...

The impact of the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) on the mammalian digestive system has been poorly described. The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of chronic, low-dose exposure to CPF on the composition of the gut microbiota in a Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem: the SHIME® and in ...

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is reduced when the same exercise is repeated after a certain interval. However, the mechanism for this adaptation, called a repeated bout effect, is still not well understood. Recently, we showed that upregulated nerve growth factor (NGF) triggered by B2 bradykinin receptor (B2R) activation in ...

Multiplex PCR amplification of microsatellites has significantly increased the throughput and decreased the costs of genotyping. We have developed two highly polymorphic microsatellite multiplexes for Populus euphratica, the only tree species found in desert regions of Western China and adjacent Central Asian countries. The first of these multiplex kits comprises ...

Values are generally defined as social facts that orientate individual and collective actions, and consequently influence political, economic and social systems. The evaluation of natural resource values is considered an important instrument to support decision making in environmental policy. The forest is an important renewable resource that provides a mix ...

BACKGROUND: Expression of FasL in cancer cells is currently being explored as a potential cancer therapy. Because high levels of FasL are necessary for effective treatment, current methods typically rely on use of highly efficient viral vectors. However, because viral vector-based gene therapy is associated with certain risks, the development ...

AM94 is a fluorinated analog of biphalin with non-hydrazine linker that has an in vitro affinity for μ-opioid and δ-opioid receptors tenfold higher than biphalin. Furthermore, in vivo evaluation in rats showed that AM94 has in hot plate test - after both intracerebroventricular and intravenous administrations - a greater and ...

OBJECTIVES: Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been identified as a meaningful indicator of distress in cancer survivors. Distinct from young adult survivors of childhood cancer, young people diagnosed with cancer as adolescents and young adults (AYAs) face unique psychosocial issues; however, there is little published research of PTSS in the ...

A clear understanding of local transmission dynamics is a prerequisite for the design and implementation of successful HIV prevention programs. There is a tremendous need for such programs geared towards young African-American women living in American cities with syndemic HIV and injection drug use. In some of these American cities, ...

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is usually associated with outbreaks and sporadic cases of severe infantile diarrhoea in the developing world, and less commonly with sporadic cases in developed countries. Very little evidence indicates that EPEC is a food-borne pathogen for adults. In a previous study, two groups of adult travellers ...

Increasing evidence suggests that trabecular meshwork (TM) cells participate in the regulation of intraocular pressure by controlling the rate of filtration of the aqueous humor. Ionic conductances that regulate cell volume and shape have been suggested to play an important role in TM cell volume regulation. Here, we compared ionic ...

Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis (Fno) (syn. F. asiatica) is an emergent Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium. Although it is considered one of the most pathogenic bacteria in fish, there are no commercially available treatments or vaccines. The objective of this project was to determine the most efficacious concentration of florfenicol (FFC) [10, ...

Visceral adipose fat has been claimed to be the link between obesity and insulin resistance through the released adipokines. This study aimed to assess the expression of vaspin as one of the recent adipokines in rats abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat in diet-induced obese (DIO) and in DIO performing 3 weeks ...

Histiocytic sarcoma is a rare, lymphohematopoietic malignant neoplasm composed of tumor cells showing morphologic and immunophenotypic features of mature tissue histiocytes. Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) as either a part of a systemic disease or as a primary lesion has rarely been described so far. We present a ...