Triethylenetetramine (TETA) dihydrochloride, or trientine, is a therapeutic molecule that has long been used as a copper-chelating agent for the second-line treatment of patients with Wilson's disease. More recently, it has also been employed as an experimental therapeutic molecule in diabetes where it improves cardiac structure in patients with diabetic ...

Modern risk control and food safety practices involving food-borne bacterial pathogens are benefiting from new genomic technologies for rapid, yet highly specific, strain characterisations. Within the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), optical genome mapping and DNA microarray genotyping have been ...

Monodisperse orthorhombic-phase BiF(3) nanocrystals with various shapes were prepared easily by a novel solvent extraction approach using an acid-base-coupled extractant. More importantly, the extractant used in this route can be recycled after synthesis. Our results show great promise for further extending the method to the preparation of other metal-fluoride nanoparticles.

In bacteria, the processing of double-strand DNA breaks is mediated by the RecBCD, AddAB and AdnAB complexes. These multisubunit helicase-nuclease machines resect the DNA ends and load RecA protein to initiate homologous recombination. Recent studies have revealed fascinating insights into the molecular mechanisms of this process and the evolution of ...

Conventionally, rechargeable batteries with a fast charge-discharge rate, while being able to be implemented in large-scale applications with low prices, are critical for new energy storage systems. In this work, first-principles simulations were employed to theoretically investigate the insertion of sodium into the Na(2)Ti(3)O(7) structure. The result discovered that the ...

The objective of this study was to prepare a new biodegradable Mg-based biomaterial, which provides good mechanical integrity in combination with anti-inflammatory function during the degradation process. The silver element was used, because it improved the mechanical properties as an effective grain refiner and it is also treated as a ...

Due to its unique electronic properties and wide spectrum of promising applications, graphene has attracted much attention from scientists in various fields. Control and engineering of graphene's semiconducting properties is considered to be key to its applications in electronic devices. Here, we report a novel method to prepare in situ ...

Barley malt is essential for beer production. In the present study, the non-prolamin fractions, including proteins with metabolic activities or structural functions were extracted from barley malts of the widely used cultivars Gannpi and Baudin in China. The metabolic proteomes (pI 4~7) were constructed and compared using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) ...

Galactosylated chitosan-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium (gal-HTCC) was synthesized by galactosylating and quaternizing chitosan to endue chitosan with targeting specificity for potential applications as gene vectors. The composition and physicochemical properties of gal-HTCC were characterized by FT-IR, (1) H NMR, elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, and turbidity measurement. It was found that water-soluble gal-HTCC showed ...

Aim:To evaluate the role of swelling-induced activation of volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) in a neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury model using the selective VRAC blocker 4-(2-butyl-6,7-dichloro-2-cyclopentyl-indan-1-on5-yl) oxobutyric acid (DCPIB).Methods:Cerebral hypoxic-ischemic injury was induced in 7-day-old mouse pups with Rice-Vannucci method. Prior to the onset of ischemia, the animals were ip administered DCPIB ...

Bacterial LPS (endotoxin) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute liver disease through its induction of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. TNF-α is a key determinant of the outcome in a well-established mouse model of acute liver failure during septic shock. One possible mechanism for regulating TNF-α expression is through ...

As Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors only a prepared mind." Serendipitous events reorienting the pathway of science often occur through the actions of dedicated individuals with unique cultural and educational backgrounds, an original sense of values, and firm principles. Science is the fountainhead of human knowledge and possesses an indispensable ...

SUMMARY Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection rates increase with maternal seroprevalence due to transmission from maternal non-primary infection. CMV seroprevalence estimates of pregnant women are needed for planning strategies against congenital CMV transmission. We aimed to determine the age-specific prevalence of serum antibodies for CMV in a representative age-stratified sample of ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) in a sample of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. METHODS: A total of 152 patients were diagnosed with coronary heart disease and were administered the CDS along with the Beck Depression Inventory- 2 (BDI-2) and the ...

Priapism is a rare condition that involves persistent penile erection for greater than 4 h. Distinct variants exist, each with unique characteristics. Ischemic priapism is a painful medical emergency that may occur as a result of veno-occlusion leading to hypoxia and tissue death. Recurrent bouts of ischemic priapism, or stuttering ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic left atrial (LA) strain parameters have been associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) in prior studies. Our goal was to determine if strain measures [peak systolic longitudinal strain (LAS) and stiffness index (LASt)] changed after cardioversion (CV); and their relation to AF recurrence.Methods and results46 participants with persistent ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Since the first outbreak recorded in northern areas of Pakistan in early 2006, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses were isolated from commercial poultry and wild and domestic birds from different areas of Pakistan up to July 2008. Different isolates of H5N1 were sequenced to explore the genetic ...

As the nutrition transition continues in Africa, it is crucial to identify population-specific dietary patterns. Healthy diets may then be promoted for prevention and alleviation of the chronic disease burden associated with nutrition. Using a semi-quantitate food frequency questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional study and computed the proportions of foods ...

A heat-assisted laser ablation electrospray ionization (HA-LAESI) method for the simultaneous mass spectrometric analysis of nonpolar and polar analytes was developed. The sample was introduced using mid-infrared laser ablation of a water-rich target. The ablated analytes were ionized with an electrospray plume, which was intercepted by a heated nitrogen gas ...

The performance of organic optoelectronic devices depends a lot on interface structure and width. Dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has been widely used to investigate interfaces in classical semiconductor devices and limitations are quite well understood. For low-energy dynamic SIMS on organic optoelectronic devices, sputter-induced diffusion processes and roughness ...

BACKGROUND: Although the association between cannabis use and a wide range of psychiatric symptoms is fairly well established, it is not clear whether cannabis use is also a risk factor for general mental health problems at secondary school. Method A total of 10 324 secondary school children aged 11-16 years, ...

Dye-loaded periodic mesoporous organosilica particles functionalized with bioactive molecules were used for the generation of a nanocomposite alginate hydrogel. The affinity of cells was up to four times higher with the embedded particles than with simple alginate hydrogel, caused by both the nanometer-scale particle itself and its bioactive functionalization.

The elimination pathway of stereochemically defined β-halovinyl ketones has been investigated using a mild base NEt3, leading to the formation of allenyl ketones and propargyl ketones. A preferential α-vinyl enolization of (E)-β-chlorovinyl ketones has been observed where a non-planar s-cis conformation is proposed as a dominant conformation as opposed to ...

We consider a marginal model for the regression analysis of clustered failure time data with a cure fraction. We propose to use novel generalized estimating equations in an expectation-maximization algorithm to estimate regression parameters in a semiparametric proportional hazards mixture cure model. The dependence among the cure statuses and among ...

A cell-based therapy for the replacement of dopaminergic neurons has been a long-term goal in Parkinson's disease research. Here, we show that autologous engraftment of A9 dopaminergic neuron-like cells induced from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) leads to long-term survival of the cells and restoration of motor function in hemiparkinsonian macaques. ...

AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of fluoride in community water at the point of source, compared to the concentration delivered to various locations within the Las Vegas Valley, to determine if the levels of fluoride change over distance. METHODS: Ten samples per week over ...

We investigated the nature of motor symptoms in the preclinical stage of Huntington's disease. Individuals with the CAG expanded repeat of Huntington's disease (prHD) and two control groups were tested on a task requiring a releasing movement (releasing a depressed button) followed by a ballistic movement (pressing a different button). ...

The Quebec Newborn Twin Study (QNTS) is an ongoing prospective longitudinal follow-up of a birth cohort of twins born between 1995 and 1998 in the greater Montreal area, Québec, Canada. The goal of QNTS is to document individual differences in the cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional aspects of developmental health across ...

A statistical protocol was developed and verified for automated signaling of matrix interferences in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Spatial emission profiles in ICP-AES are versatile indicators for flagging matrix interference. A family of calibration curves is first generated by measurements of standard solutions at different spatial locations in ...

At the core of chemistry lie the structure of the molecule, the art of its synthesis, and the design of function within it. This Essay traces the understanding of the structure of the molecule, the emergence of organic synthesis, and the art of total synthesis from the 19th century to ...

ABSTRACT: The death penalty by lethal injection is a legal punishment in the United States. Sodium Thiopental, once used in the death penalty cocktail, is no longer available for use in the United States as a consequence of this association. Anesthesiologists possess knowledge of Sodium Thiopental and possible chemical alternatives. ...

Objectives: Bevacizumab has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a first-line therapy for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel. A single Latin American center experience was reviewed to determine the safety and efficacy of adding bevacizumab to first-line chemotherapy in a ...

The uneven cholesterol distribution among organelles and within the plasma membrane is postulated to be critical for proper cellular function. To study how interactions between cholesterol and specific lipid species contribute to the uneven cholesterol distribution between and within cellular membranes, model lipid membranes are frequently employed. Although the cholesterol ...

SUMMARY We estimated prevalence and incidence of liver condition outcomes, and costs to the health service of diagnosed hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Tayside, UK. HBV patients were identified from electronic virology data between 1989 and 2003. The health resource costs of HBV for surface antigen-positive (HBsAg+) patients and HBV ...

We have developed a target-molecule-functionalized magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-based method to facilitate the study of bio-molecular recognition and separation. The superparamagnetic property of MNPs allows the corresponding biomolecules to be rapidly separated from crude biofluids with a significant improvement in recovery yield and specificity. Various MNPs functionalized with tag molecules (chitin, ...

Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis involves an asymmetric cell division followed by differentiation into two cell types, the endospore and the mother cell. The endospore coat is a multilayered shell that protects the bacterial genome during stress conditions and is composed of dozens of proteins. Recently, fluorescence microscopy coupled with high-resolution ...

Nairne and collaborators showed that assessing the relevance of words in the context of an imagined survival scenario boosts memory for these words. Although this survival-processing advantage has attracted a considerable amount of research, little is known about the proximate memory mechanism mediating this effect. Recently, Kroneisen and Erdfelder (2011) ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit difficulties in multiple attentional functions. Although high heritability rates suggest a strong genetic impact, aetiological pathways from genes and environmental factors to the ADHD phenotype are not well understood. Tracking the time course of deviant task processing using event-related electrophysiological brain activity ...

ISSUE: The rationale and potential impact of Australia's recent legislative changes regulating secondary supply of alcohol to minors, particularly on private premises. APPROACH: An examination of similarities and differences between state and territory liquor licensing legislation regulating secondary supply of alcohol to minors was undertaken. KEY FINDINGS: The Northern Territory, ...

Aim:To explore whether the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 could protect oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in stroke penumbra, thereby providing neuroprotection following permanent focal cerebral ischemia in rats.Methods:Adult male SD rats were subjected to permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (p-MCAO). The animals were administered WIN55,212-2 at 2 h, and sacrificed ...

While antidepressants are supposed to exert similar effects on mood and drive via various mechanisms of action, diverging effects are observed regarding side-effects and accordingly on neural correlates of motivation, emotion, reward and salient stimuli processing as a function of the drugs impact on neurotransmission. In the context of erotic ...

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) from urethral sphincteric deficiency is not an uncommon problem. The commonest etiology is intervention for localized prostate cancer and/or radical cystoprostatectomy for muscle invasive bladder cancer. Despite advances in surgical technology with robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy and nerve sparing techniques, the rates ...

Shell@core-nanostructured TiO(2)@ZnO n-p-n heterojunction nanorods with diameter of 30 nm were successfully fabricated via a hydrothermal method. The photodegradation rate of the TiO(2)@ZnO n-p-n nanorods evaluated by photodegrading methyl orange has been demonstrated to increase three times compared to that of wurtzite hexagonal ZnO. Anatase TiO(2) and Ti(2)O(3) grow along ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if the relationships between additional maintaining factors and core eating disorder maintaining mechanisms outlined in the cognitive-behavioural model of eating disorders are transdiagnostic. METHOD: Patients (n = 1451) diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa (BN) or eating disorder not otherwise specified completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Eating Disorder ...

A new optimisation strategy for the SERS detection of mephedrone using a portable Raman system has been developed. A fractional factorial design was employed and the number of statistically significant experiments (288) was greatly reduced from the actual total number of experiments (1722), which minimised the workload whilst maintaining the ...

Purpose. To study soft tissue sarcomas using dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) with the glucose analog tracer [(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)FDG), to investigate correlations between derived PET image parameters and clinical characteristics, and to discuss implications of dynamic PET acquisition (D-PET). Material and methods. D-PET images of 11 patients with soft tissue ...

A new type of hetero- and homo-polynuclear complexes of copper(ii) and nickel(ii) containing 1,2,3-triazole groups in polymethylene chains have been synthesized and characterized using NMR and electrochemical methods. The triazole link facilitates the synthesis of hetero-dinuclear macrocyclic complexes. Introducing the triazole unit into the complex structure can lead to increased ...

Apoptosis and other types of regulated cell death have been defined as fundamental processes in plant and animal development, but the occurrence of, and possible roles for, regulated cell death in parasitic protozoa remain controversial. A key problem has been the difficulty in reconciling the presence of apparent morphological markers ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Baker s law predicts that self-incompatible plant species are generally poor colonizers because their mating system requires a high diversity of genetically differentiated individuals and thus self-compatibility should develop after long-distance dispersal. However, cases like the introduction of the self-incompatible Veronica filiformis (Plantaginaceae) to Europe constitute an often ...

Aim:To investigate the pharmacokinetics and dopamine/acetylcholine-releasing effects of ginsenoside Re (Re) in brain regions related to learning and memory, and to clarify the neurochemical mechanisms underlying its anti-dementia activity.Methods:Microdialysis was conducted on awake, freely moving adult male SD rats with dialysis probes implanted into the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) ...