Thermoelectric materials transform temperature gradients to voltages and vise versa. Despite their many advantages, devices based on thermoelectric materials are used today only in a few applications, due to their low efficiency, which is described by the figure of merit ZT. Theoretical studies predict that scaling down these materials to ...

Rapid and sensitive detection methods are in urgent demand for the screening of the extensively used organophosphorus pesticides and highly toxic nerve agents for their neurotoxicity. In this study, we developed a novel Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) peroxidase mimetic-based colorimetric method for the rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticides and nerve ...

Adults evaluate others based on their speech, yet little is known of the developmental trajectory by which accent attitudes are acquired. Here we investigate the development of American children's attitudes about Northern- and Southern-accented American English. Children in Illinois (the "North") and Tennessee (the "South") evaluated the social desirability, personality ...

To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements obtained with Goldmann applanation (GAT) and dynamic contour tonometry (DCT) in a Mexican population. 40 glaucoma patients were included in this cross-sectional observational cohort study. IOP measurements were performed in the following order: DCT, ultrasonic pachymetry and GAT, with a 5-minute difference between each ...

Activating and inhibitory receptors control natural killer (NK) cell activity. T-cell immunoglobulin and ITIM (immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif) domain (TIGIT) was recently identified as a new inhibitory receptor on T and NK cells that suppressed their effector functions. TIGIT harbors the immunoreceptor tail tyrosine (ITT)-like and ITIM motifs in its ...

Abstract Few studies have assessed if Sweden's injury prevention work has been equally effective for children of different socio-economic backgrounds. The goal of this paper is to review the country's injury rates for children over time, stratified by socio-economic status (SES), to see if the effects are similar across SES ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The two step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method has emerged in the last decade as a key measure of spatial accessibility, particularly in its application to primary health care access. Many recent 'improvements' to the original 2SFCA method have been developed, which generally either account for distance-decay within ...

Background/Aims: The mechanism underlying transmitter release from astrocytes is not fully understood. The present study examined A(2a) adenosine receptor-mediated glutamate release and intracellular Ca(2+) rise in cultured rat hippocampal astrocytes. Methods: Intracellular amino acids were measured with HPLC. Glutamate release from astrocytes and intracellular Ca(2+) mobilizations were monitored in the ...

PurposeTo evaluate the long-term visual prognosis and complications of patients who received intravitreal Ozurdex injections for the treatment of macular edema (ME) due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO).MethodsA total of 17 patients who received Ozurdex injections in our institution as part of the GENEVA study were recalled for examination. Recorded ...

Objectives. We explored differences in criminal convictions between holders and nonholders of a concealed handgun license (CHL) in Texas. Methods. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) provides annual data on criminal convictions of holders and nonholders of CHLs. We used 2001 to 2009 DPS data to investigate the differences ...

ABSTRACT: A report on the 7th annual Metabomeeting of the Metabolic Profiling Forum, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, 25-27 September 2012.

INTRODUCTION: Accumulating evidence has linked depressive symptoms and sex hormones to risk for relapse; however, the specific mechanisms involved in these associations remain unknown. This randomized crossover study assessed physiological response to nicotine by menstrual phase in female smokers with and without depressive symptoms following acute smoking abstinence. METHODS: Females, ...

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), metal-associated amyloid-β (metal-Aβ) species have been suggested to be involved in neurotoxicity; however, their role in disease development is still unclear. To elucidate this aspect, chemical reagents have been developed as valuable tools for targeting metal-Aβ species, modulating the interaction between the metal and Aβ, and ...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may involve diverse injury mechanisms (e.g. focal impact vs. diffuse impact loading). Putative therapies developed in TBI models featuring a single injury mechanism may fail in clinical trials if the model does not fully replicate multiple injury subtypes which may occur concomitantly in a given patient. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: It's unknown whether the prognostic value of admission heart rate (HR) was different in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with or without concomitant type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Consecutive STEMI patients who presented within 12 hours of symptom onset were recruited from 274 hospitals in ...

Purpose: To investigate whether ultrasound-based strain imaging can discriminate between colorectal adenocarcinomas and stenotic Crohn's lesions in newly resected surgical specimens.Materials and Methods: Resected surgical specimens from 27 patients electively operated for colorectal tumors or stenotic lesions from Crohn's disease were prospectively examined with ultrasonography using a Hitachi HV 900 ...

To identify embryos individually during in vitro development, we previously developed the well-of-the-well (WOW) dish, which contains 25 microwells. Here we investigated the effect of embryo density (the number of embryos per volume of medium) on in vitro development and gene expression of bovine in vitro-fertilized embryos cultured in WOW ...

Recurrent alterations in promoter methylation of tumor suppressor genes (TSG) and LINE-1 repeat elements were previously reported in pheochromocytoma and abdominal paraganglioma. The present study was undertaken to explore CpG methylation abnormalities in an extended tumor panel, and assess possible relationships to metastatic disease and mutation status. CpG methylation was ...

Assessment has been a historical strength of psychology, with sophisticated traditions of measurement, psychometrics, and theoretical underpinnings. However, training, reimbursement, and utilization of psychological assessment have been eroded in many settings. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) offers a different perspective on evaluation that complements traditional strengths of psychological assessment. EBM ties assessment ...

Cryptochromes (CRYs) are flavoproteins that are known as blue light photoreceptors in many organisms. Recently, genome sequences from a variety of algae became available. Functional characterizations of animal-like CRYs from Oestreococcus tauri, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Phaeodactylum tricornutum highlighted novel functions and properties. As arising from studies in fungi, certain algal ...

OBJECTIVES: Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a malformative condition characterized by several anomalies of the azygos and/or internal jugular veins (IJVs). Recommended diagnosis of CCSVI is performed with colour-Doppler (CD) sonography. Though catheter venography (CV) is considered as the gold standard for determining vascular anatomy, its uniplanar point of ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To investigate the long term effectiveness of grid laser photocoagulation (GLP) versus intravitreal bevacizumab (BEV) in macular oedema (MO) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), and to evaluate the treatment courses after treatments were switched. METHODS: In this prospective interventional consecutive case series, previously untreated eyes ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), and the synthesis and secretion of lipids, in HaCaT cells. HaCaT cells were treated with DHT and either the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 or the ...

PURPOSE: Muller glia respond to retinal injury by a reactive gliosis but only rarely do mammalian glial cells re-enter the cell cycle and generate new neurons. In the non-mammalian retina, however, Muller glia act as stem/progenitor cells. Here, we test the function of Wnt signaling in the post-injury retina, focusing ...

We report on a method to enhance the light-emission efficiency of printable thin films of a polymer doped with luminescent (CdSe)ZnS nanocrystals via metallic nanoparticles and nanoimprinted photonic crystals. We experimentally show a strong fluorescence enhancement of nanocrystals by coupling exciton-plasmon with the localized surface plasmon of metallic nanoparticles. The ...

Large increases in systemic oxygen content cause substantial reductions in exercising forearm blood flow (FBF) due to increased vascular resistance. We hypothesized that 1) functional sympatholysis (blunting of sympathetic α-adrenergic vasoconstriction) would be attenuated during hyperoxic exercise and 2) α-adrenergic blockade would limit vasoconstriction during hyperoxia and increase FBF to ...

Background/Aims: Thalassemia is one of the most common hereditary disorders in Turkey. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of the β-thalassemia trait and abnormal hemoglobin in couples who applied for premarital screening in the third largest Turkish province of Izmir in the Aegean region. Methods: From ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants conceived after assisted conception (AC) compared with infants conceived spontaneously (non-AC). DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Geographically defined area in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia served by a network of 10 neonatal intensive care units. PATIENTS: ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: MTMDAT is a program designed to facilitate analysis of mass spectrometry data of proteins and biomolecularcomplexes that are probed structurally by limited proteolysis. This approach can provide information aboutstable fragments of multidomain proteins, yield tertiary and quaternary structure data, and help determine theorigin of stability changes at the ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can be isolated from traditional milk products. LAB that secrete substances that inhibit pathogenic bacteria and are resistant to acid, bile, and pepsin but not vancomycin may have potential in food applications. RESULTS: LAB isolated from a range of traditional fermented products were screened ...

We examined the association between household solid fuel exposure and lung function in a densely populated district in urban Shanghai, China. Spirometry was performed in 12 506 subjects, aged 18 and over, residing in the Putuo District in Shanghai, China, in a cross-sectional survey. Exposure to solid fuel use at ...

HIV-1 provirus activation is under control of the LTR-5´ viral promoter region, which presents remarkable genetic variation among HIV-1 subtypes. It is possible that molecular features of the LTR contribute to the unusual subtype C epidemic profile in Brazilian Southern region. In order to characterize the LTR of Brazilian HIV ...

The mitochondrial enzyme succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) consists of four subunits, a flavoprotein (SDH1), an iron-sulfur (Fe-S) protein (SDH2) and two integral membrane subunits (SDH3/SDH4). In mammals and yeast, an assembly factor termed SDHAF2/SDH5 is required for accumulation of flavinylated SDH1. In Arabidopsis, we have recently reported the characterization of an ...

This work presents a novel approach to analyze the function of the human right ventricle (RV) by deriving kinematic features of the relative change in shape throughout the cardiac cycle. The approach is anatomically consistent, allows direct comparison across populations of individuals, and potentially provides new metrics to improve the ...

BACKGROUND: Large full-thickness wounds of the upper lip are often referred to operating room-based surgeons for repair given the perceived difficulties in restoring upper lip form and function with simpler operative techniques. OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the functional, aesthetic, and cost differences between two techniques used to repair full-thickness wounds of ...

Solvation in water requires minimizing the perturbations in its hydrogen bonded network. Hence solutes distort water molecular motions in a surrounding domain, forming a molecule-specific hydration shell. The properties of those hydration shells impact the structure and function of the solubilized molecules, both at the single molecule and at higher ...

STUDY QUESTION: Is the age at menopause in a cohort of childhood cancer survivors earlier and what are the risk factors associated with earlier age at menopause? SUMMARY ANSWER: Menopause occurred at a median age of 44 years in this cohort which is earlier than in the general population, but ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Variation in counts between subjects at a given speed or work rate are the most important source of error in physical activity (PA) measurements with accelerometers. The aim of this study was to explore how the use of individual accelerometer cut points (ICPs) affected the analysis of PA ...

A new diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) during pregnancy is extremely rare and difficult to recognise as signs and symptoms such as nausea, fatigue and hypotension may resemble features of normal pregnancy. However, if the diagnosis is overlooked and steroid replacement delayed, subsequent adrenal crisis triggered by hyperemesis gravidarum, ...

The Roe v Wade decision made safe abortion available but did not change the reality that more than 1 million women face an unwanted pregnancy every year. Forty years after Roe v Wade, the procedure is not accessible to many US women. The politics of abortion have led to a ...

Ovarian stimulation with gonadotrophins is an integral part of assisted reproductive technologies in human subfertility/infertility treatment. Recent findings have associated ovarian stimulation with the increased incidence of imprinting disorders in humans as well as defects in genome-wide methylation reprogramming and, in particular, imprinting in mice. Here, we present the first ...

Newborn screening (NS) for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the major achievements in preventive medicine. Most neonates born with CH have normal appearance and no detectable physical signs. Hypothyroidism in the newborn period is almost always overlooked, and delayed diagnosis leads to the most severe outcome of CH, mental ...

Theoretical cross sections for photoionization of the methanol valence orbitals in covering a region up to 80 eV beyond the first ionization potential are reported. The molecular quantum defect orbital, MQDO, method, which has proved to be reliable in previous applications to molecular photoionization, has been used. To our knowledge, ...

Medicago truncatula NIP/LATD gene, required for symbiotic nitrogen fixing nodule and root architecture development, encodes a member of the NRT1(PTR) family that demonstrates high-affinity nitrate transport in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Of three Mtnip/latd mutant proteins, one retains high-affinity nitrate transport in oocytes, while the other two are nitrate-transport defective. To ...

Abstract In computer-supported information exchange, people frequently tend to withhold their own information and free-ride on the others' contributions. In doing so, they save costs (time and effort) and maximize their own benefit. However, if everyone behaved in this way, there would be no information sharing at all. In this ...

The behavioural response study (BRS) is an experimental design used by field biologists to determine the function and /or behavioural effects of conspecific, heterospecific or anthropogenic stimuli. When carrying out these studies in marine mammals it is difficult to make basic observations and achieve sufficient samples sizes due to the ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus emerged in swine and quickly became a major global health threat. In mouse, non-human primate, and swine infection models, the pH1N1 virus efficiently replicates in the lung and induces pro-inflammatory host responses; however, whether similar or different cellular pathways were impacted by ...

Mycobacteria are shaped by a thick envelope made of an array of uniquely structured lipids and polysaccharides. However, the spatial organization of these molecules remains unclear. Here, we show that exposure to an esterase from Mycobacterium smegmatis (Msmeg_1529), hydrolyzing the ester linkage of trehalose dimycolate in vitro, triggers rapid and ...

STUDY QUESTION: Does neonatal outcome including congenital malformations in children born after ICSI with epididymal and testicular sperm [testicular sperm extraction (TESE)/percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA)/testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) (TPT)] differ from neonatal outcome in children born after ICSI with ejaculated sperm, IVF and natural conception (NC)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Children ...

Mycolic acids, very long-chain α-alkyl, β-hydroxylated fatty acids, occur in the Corynebacteriales order where their chain lengths (C26 to C88) and structural features (oxygen functions, cis or trans double bonds, cyclopropane rings and methyl branches) are genus- and species-specific. The molecular composition and structures of the mycolic acids of two ...