Erythrocytes from sickle cell anaemia (SCA) patients continuously produce larger amounts of pro-oxidants than normal cells. Oxidative stress seems to primarily affect the membrane and results in haemolysis. The use of antioxidants in vitro reduces the generation of pro-oxidants. To evaluate the impact of vitamins C (VitC) and E (VitE) ...

Force spectroscopy has developed into an indispensable tool for studying folding and binding of proteins on a single molecule level in real time. Design of the pulling geometry allows tuning the reaction coordinate in a very precise manner. Many recent experiments have taken advantage of this possibility and have provided ...

BACKGROUND: There is a risk of inadvertent dural or vascular puncture for the traditional single-shot caudal block performed by inserting the needle into the sacral canal through the sacral hiatus. This prospective, randomized study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility of the hiatus injection under ultrasound guidance for caudal block ...

OBJECTIVES: Describing rates of seroconversion and its associated factors in a series of Brazilian infants following the final dose of the vaccine at 6 months of age. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected after the third dose of the vaccine for the detection of anti-hepatitis B surface antibodies among infants ...

Although restrained eaters try to limit their food intake, they often fail and indulge in exactly those foods that they want to avoid. A possible explanation is a temporal attentional bias for food cues. It could be that for these people food stimuli are processed relatively efficiently and require less ...

The construction of waste incinerators in populated areas always causes substantial public concern. Since the heat from waste combustion can be recovered to power district heating networks and allows for the switch-off of domestic boilers in urbanized areas, predictive models for health assessment should also take into account the potential ...

PURPOSE: The efficacy and safety of the anti-convulsive drug levetiracetam (LEV) has been well documented but few clinical studies have investigated tolerance to LEV. The aim of this study was to evaluate the loss of the initial efficacy of LEV in adult patients with refractory partial-onset seizures. METHODS: We enrolled ...

Conotoxins are small disulfide-rich peptide toxins, which have the exceptional diversity of sequences. Because conotoxins are able to specifically bind to ion channels and interfere with neurotransmission, they are considered as the excellent pharmacological candidates in drug design. Appropriate type assignment of newly sequenced mature ion channel-targeted conotoxins with computational ...

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the main cause of heritable mental retardation. In most patients, it is associated with an increased number of CGG repeats (>200) within the 5'-untranslated region of the FMR1 gene, and with methylation of the expanded repeats and of the promoter. FXS female carriers and transmitting ...

Coupling with triolein-embedded cellulose acetate membrane (TECAM) technique, hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrins (HPCD) extraction method, and the greenhouse pot experiments, the influences of biochars on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) bioavailability in soil to plant (Brassica chinensis L. and Daucus carota) were investigated. Addition of 2% biochars to soils significantly reduced the uptake of ...

The pathology of a gastric ulcer is complex and multifactorial. Gastric ulcers affect many people around the world and its development is a result of the imbalance between aggressive and protective factors in the gastric mucosa. In this study, we evaluated the ethanolic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (eeRo); this ...

Increasing evidence shows that progesterone, a neuroactive steroid, has protective actions in central nervous system, but there is little evidence to show the protective mechanism of progesterone on neurotoxicity induced by environmental chemicals. In this study, we examined the effects of progesterone on neuronal injury induced by tributyltin (TBT) in ...

BACKGROUND: Genetic variations that affect the structure of the thromboxane A(2) (TP) receptor provide insights into the function of this key platelet and vascular receptor, but are very rare in unselected populations. OBJECTIVES: To determine the functional consequences of the TP receptor Trp29Cys (W29C) substitution. PATIENTS/METHODS: Detailed phenotypic analysis of ...

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the subjective skin type and the casual sebum level was not fully clarified. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the characteristics of subjective skin type and to find the relationship between the subjective skin types and the skin type-related symptoms, casual sebum level, along with the objective skin type. ...

OBJECTIVES: The primary purpose of this study was to establish the ability of pediatric anesthesiologists to learn to use two video laryngoscopes - the GlideScope(®) system (GS) and the Karl Storz Direct Coupled Interface, DCI(®) , (KS). BACKGROUND: The number of intubation attempts required to attain proficiency with a video ...

Ischemic neuron death is presumably caused by excitotoxicity. Here, we studied whether ischemia impaired astrocytes and GABAergic neurons to exacerbate glutamate-dependent neural excitotoxicity by electrophysiologically recording these nerve cells in cortical slices. Our results showed that ischemia impaired the activity of glutamate-transporters (Glu-T) on the astrocytes, as well as the ...

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor plays an essential role in excitatory transmission, synaptic integration, and learning and memory. In the classical view, postsynaptic NMDA receptors act as canonical coincidence detectors providing a 'molecular switch' for the induction of various forms of short- and long-term synaptic plasticity. Over the past twenty years ...

BACKGROUND: A phototrichogram scalp measurement method using a headband and a tapeline was introduced as a non-invasive and economical measuring technique. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of the two-point scoring method by phototrichogram using a headband and a tapeline. METHODS: The scalp hair of seven volunteers were measured ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequencies of three paraoxonase (PON)1 polymorphisms in Greek polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and non-PCOS women, and their genotypes association with hyperandrogenemia and insulin resistance. DESIGN: Case-control genetic association study. SETTING: University Hospital Endocrine Unit. PATIENTS: 142 PCOS cases (NIH criteria) and 112 controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: ...

INTRODUCTION: Clinical application of mechanical interruption methods for measuring aerodynamic parameters has been hindered by relatively high intrasubject variability. To improve the intrasubject reliability, we evaluated the effect of auditory and visual feedback on subject performance when measuring aerodynamic parameters with the airflow interrupter. METHODS: Eleven subjects performed four sets ...

The poor recovery of the central nervous system (CNS) after injury, coupled with its complex and immunologically-privileged nature, led to the belief that CNS repair is different from the repair of other tissues. Here, we consider CNS repair from a novel perspective, suggesting that CNS responses to injury resemble wound ...

PURPOSE: Electronic data capture is becoming increasingly common for collecting real-time patient responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate compliance with a daily electronic questionnaire regarding night-time contact lens visual performance. METHOD: Forty-eight subjects (34 females) were fit and dispensed two contralateral pairs of soft contact lenses (SCLs) ...

Drought is one of the major problems worldwide. The search for new and efficient microorganisms, from unexplored environments, to be used in association with plants to alleviate the negative effects imposed by water stress, is an interesting alternative. Thus, cacti-associated bacteria from the Brazilian semi-arid region were isolated based on ...

The study involves mucoadhesive evaluation by formulating buccal discs using fluconazole as the model drug. The effect of compression pressure and gum cordia/lactose ratio on the ex vivo bioadhesion time and in vitro release of fluconazole was optimized using central composite experimental design. It was observed that the response ex ...

CHF5074 attenuates memory deficit in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice. In the present study, the effect of an acute or sub-acute CHF5074 treatment on in vivo novel object recognition test and on [(3) H]Acetylcholine and GABA release in pre-plaque (7 month-old) Tg2576 mice, have been compared with those induced by the ...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that mainly causes the synovial joint inflammation and cartilage destruction. Both interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Interleukin-17 (IL-17) are important proinflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of RA. We investigated whether combination therapy with IL-1β and IL-17A antibodies would generate the potential for ...

Family physicians are responsible for diagnosing and treating the majority of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus and co-morbid depression. As a result of the impact of co-morbid depression on patient self-care and treatment outcomes, screening for depression in the context of a structured approach to case management and patient ...

Leukocytapheresis (LCAP) appears to remove or inactivate inflammatory cells and to reset immunological responses, resulting to cure responders of ulcerative colitis (UC). The changes of T cell subsets were investigated in UC patients treated with LCAP. Levels of T cell subsets in peripheral blood before and after LCAP were analysed ...

The geological complexity generated by the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the resulting habitat heterogeneity have functioned together with climatic oscillations in the Quaternary to have a profound impact on the patterns of genetic diversity and demography of the fauna in this region. To understand the effect of the ...

Introduction: To evaluate the performance of QCancer(®) (Renal) for predicting the absolute risk of renal tract cancer in a large independent UK cohort of patients from general practice records. Materials and methods: Open cohort study to validate QCancer(®) (Renal) prediction model. Record from 365 practices from United Kingdom contributing to ...

Identification of biomarkers is a major issue for enhancement of chemotherapies. The molecular characterization of tissues necessitates the identification of thousands of biomolecules each participating in physiopathological processes. MALDI in-source decay (ISD) fragmentation has already proven to be effective for protein characterization. However, the difficulty to identify proteins from complex ...

It is often difficult to differentiate metachronous primary lung cancers from local pulmonary recurrences when the histopathological findings are similar. A 43-year-old man underwent right upper lobectomy with lymph node dissection for primary lung adenocarcinoma (p-T2aN0M0, stage IB). Fifteen years later, he developed a lung nodule in his right middle ...

BACKGROUND: In other populations, the psychological impact of abuse has been conceptualized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1994), but little is known about whether this is appropriate for adults with severe intellectual disabilities and very limited communication skills. METHODS: An informant interview, based on ...

The intestinal microbiota is a complicated ecosystem that influences many aspects of host physiology (i.e. diet, disease development, drug metabolism, and regulation of the immune system). It also exhibits spatial patterning and temporal dynamics. In this review, the effects of internal and external (environmental) factors on intestinal microbiota are discussed. ...

Temporal trends in metal concentrations, i.e. Ag, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn, measured in soft tissues of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussels and Crassostrea gigas oysters collected from estuarine waters within the Basque Country (Bay of Biscay), have been investigated to determine if actions undertaken have improved the environmental ...

OBJECTIVE: Constipation is one of the most common medical complications of acute stroke. Currently, management strategies to guide clinical practice are limited. This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of bowel management strategies for constipation in adults with stroke. DESIGN: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials or other quantitative ...

1. Heron SE, Smith KR, Bahlo M et al. Missense mutations in the sodium-gated potassium channel gene KCNT1 cause severe autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. Nat Genet. 2012: 44 (11):1188-1190. 2. Heron SE, Scheffer IE, Berkovic SF et al. Channelopathies in idiopathic epilepsy. Neurotherapeutics. 2007: 4 (2): 295-304. 3. ...

BACKGROUND: There have been few reports about the clinical significance of the time of admission for acute heart failure (AHF). METHODS: Five hundred thirty-one patients with AHF admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were analyzed. The patients were assigned to either the daytime HF group (n=195, visited from 08:00 ...

The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans causes serious hematogenic hospital acquired candidiasis with worldwide impact on public health. Because of its importance as a nosocomial etiologic agent, C. albicans genome has been largely studied to identify intraspecific variation and several typing methods have been developed to distinguish closely related strains. ...

Organochlorine compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs), chlordanes (CHLs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were analyzed in blubber samples collected from fifteen Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) stranded in the Pearl River Delta during the period from 2004 to 2009. In general, the magnitude of the mean concentrations ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to measure the refractive index of three readily available contact lens saline solutions in order that these values could be used in a calculation to convert back vertex power measured in saline to its corresponding power in air. METHOD: Using an automatic digital ...

Several studies employed the repetition suppression paradigm to investigate the face-specific N170 component of the event-related potential (ERP), but yielded highly inconsistent results. Varying inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) may account for inconsistencies between studies. This study aimed at exploring the time course of repetition suppression by systematically investigating the association between ...

Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are the main reserve product accumulated by oilseeds and they are synthesized by the successive esterification of acyl-CoA derivatives to glycerol molecules through a series of reactions occurring in the endoplasmic reticulum. Acyl-CoA derivatives produced in developing seeds are derived from the de novo plastidial synthesis of fatty ...

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, S. minor Jagger, S. trifoliorum Eriks, and S. homoeocarpa F.T. Benn are the most relevant plant pathogenic species within the genus Sclerotinia because of their large range of economically important hosts, including tomato, peanut, alfalfa, and turfgrass, among others. Species identification based on morphological characteristics ...

Metabolic engineering has been playing important roles in developing high performance microorganisms capable of producing various chemicals and materials from renewable biomass in a sustainable manner. Synthetic and systems biology are also contributing significantly to the creation of novel pathways and the whole cell-wide optimization of metabolic performance, respectively. In ...

Human infection by Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is one of the most prevalent foodborne diseases. Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2) is the major contributor to hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) and other systemic complications caused by STEC. Although outbreaks of HUS due to the consumption of dairy products occur frequently, ...

Quality by design is an important concept, but only limited research has been invested in concentrated pharmaceutical suspensions. A need exists for novel analytical tools to thoroughly characterize the drug as well as its aggregated particle structure in suspension. This work focuses on lipid-based pharmaceutical suspensions for filling of capsules. ...

Neurofilaments (NF) are detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and their concentration correlates with disease severity. We recently demonstrated that NF and co-isolated proteins increase the proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocytes (OL) in vitro. If these proteins are released in the extracellular environment in MS, they ...

OBJECTIVE: Efforts in the domain of mobile health, or mHealth, have been criticized for the unfettered proliferation of pilots and a lack of a rigorous evidence base to support these strategies. In this letter, we present the response of a group of researchers in the mHealth community to the recent ...

To encourage the development and validation of alternative toxicity test methods, the effort required for validation of test methods proposed for regulatory purposes should be minimised. Performance standards (PS) facilitate efficient validation by requiring limited testing. Based on the validated method, PS define accuracy and reliability values that must be ...