We demonstrate a novel, rapid and label-free assay for the detection of Ag(+) and biothiols with high sensitivity and selectivity by utilization of Ag nanoparticle-decorated graphene quantum dots.

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with the polymerization of the cellular form of prion protein (PrP(C)) into an amyloidogenic β-sheet infectious form (PrP(Sc)). The sequence of host's PrP is the major determinant of host's prion disease susceptibility. In mice, the presence of allele a (Prnp(a), encoding the polymorphism ...

Objectives To determine whether the parameters used in first-trimester screening for aneuploidies contribute significantly to the prediction of birth weight.Methods In this retrospective cohort study (n = 4110), nuchal translucency (NT), free β-chorionic gonadotropin (fβ-hCG), and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) blood concentrations were measured between 11 + 0 and 13 + 6 weeks. Multiple pregnancies, chromosomal anomalies, major ...

Endometriosis is associated with aberrant gene expression in the eutopic endometrium of women with disease. To determine if the development of endometriotic lesions directly impacts eutopic endometrial gene expression, we sequentially analyzed the eutopic endometrium across the time-course of disease progression in a baboon model of induced disease. Endometriosis was ...

This study was designed to investigate the reproductive toxicity of aluminium sulphate and the therapeutic effects of administration of zinc sulphate and vitamin E individually or in combination against the toxic effect caused by aluminium (Al) in male albino rats. The animals were divided into five groups: group 1 received ...

Clonal complex 30 (CC30), one of the major Staphylococcus aureus lineages, has caused extensive hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections worldwide. Recent comparative genomics studies have demonstrated that three CC30 clones, phage type 80/81, Southwest Pacific (SWP) and contemporary EMRSA-16 associated (Con) strains, shared a recent common ancestor more than 100 years ...

Context:Several trials have reported an increased risk of fractures and falls after intermittent high-dose vitamin D. Treatment with loading doses of vitamin D may increase 1,25(OH)(2) vitamin D catabolism through changes in calcium/phosphate homeostasis and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23).Objective:The aim was to determine the effects of high-dose vitamin D on ...

The key event in the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is the activation of Bax and Bak by BH3-only proteins, through a molecular mechanism that is still a matter of debate. We have studied here interactions among anti- and pro-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family in living cells by using Bimolecular ...

Most Betacoronaviruses possess an hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) protein, which appears to play a role in binding to or release from the target cell. As this HE protein possesses an acetyl-esterase activity that removes acetyl groups from O-acetylated sialic acid, a role as a receptor-destroying enzyme has been postulated. However, the precise ...

About 85% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, liver cancer) cases occur in low-income countries, where the risk factors of dietary aflatoxin exposure and chronic hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) viral infection are common. While studies have shown synergism between aflatoxin and HBV in causing HCC, much less is known ...

The assembly of mixtures of nanoparticles with different properties into a binary nanoparticle superlattice (BNSL) provides a route to fabricate novel classes of materials with properties emerging from the choice of the building blocks. The common theoretical approach based on the hard-spheres model predicts crystallization of only a few metastable ...

The NAPRTCS transplant registry has collected clinical information on children undergoing kidney transplantation since 1987 and now includes information on 11 603 kidney transplants in 10 632 patients. Since the first data analysis in 1989, NAPRTCS reports have documented marked improvements in outcome after kidney transplantation in addition to identifying factors associated ...

Do individual differences in the brain mechanisms for arithmetic underlie variability in high school mathematical competence? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we correlated brain responses to single digit calculation with standard scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) math subtest in high school seniors. PSAT math scores, while controlling ...

Human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) secrete cytokines and growth factors that can be harnessed in a paracrine fashion for promotion of angiogenesis, cell survival and activation of endogenous stem cells. We recently showed that hypoxia is a powerful stimulus for angiogenic activity from ASCs in vitro and here we investigate ...

The striatum acts in conjunction with the cortex to control and execute functions that are impaired by abnormal dopamine neurotransmission in disorders such as Parkinson's and schizophrenia. To date, in vivo quantification of striatal dopamine has been restricted to structure-based striatal subdivisions. Here, we present a multimodal imaging approach that ...

Oocyte-derived bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) regulates ovulation rate and female fertility in a species-specific manner, being important in humans and sheep and largely superfluous in mice. To understand these species differences, we have compared the expression and activity of human, murine, and ovine BMP15. In HEK293F cells, human BMP15 ...

BACKGROUND: Whether peritoneal protein leakage predicts risk for peritonitis in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) is unknown. In this observational cohort study, we aimed to determine that association and, further, to explore if it might be explained by systemic inflammation. METHODS: We prospectively followed 305 incident PD patients to first-episode ...

In RNA virus-infected cells, retinoic acid-inducible gene-I-like receptors (RLRs) sense foreign RNAs and activate signaling cascades to produce IFN-α/β. However, not every infected cell produces IFN-α/β that exhibits cellular heterogeneity in antiviral immune responses. Using the IFN-β-GFP reporter system, we observed bimodal IFN-β production in the uniformly stimulated cell population ...

Diabetes is a risk factor for the development of acute kidney injury in humans and rodents. However, the mechanistic basis for this observation is unknown.The present studies evaluated the role of inflammation and TNF-α in ischemic AKI in a model of Type 2 DM. db/db and non-diabetic db/+ littermates were ...

An 8-year-old, brachycephalic, mixed breed cat underwent full mouth tooth extractions for the treatment of tooth root abscessation. Subsequently, the cat developed anterior uveitis refractory to topical therapy that eventually necessitated enucleation. Actinomyces species were isolated from both the tooth root abscesses and the anterior chamber after enucleation. Histopathology of ...

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is an important neoplasm that is difficult to diagnose and treat; therefore, prevention is the preferable strategy. Growing evidence indicates a protective effect of breastfeeding on ovarian cancer risk. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate the association between lactation and the risk of ovarian cancer among southern ...

The sensitivity of post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) to high frequency stimulation (HFS) steeply decays during the first two postnatal weeks. We investigated the underlying mechanisms for the developmental change of PTP induced by HFS (100 Hz, 2 sec) at postnatal days 4-6 and 9-11 at the rat calyx of Held synapse. ...

INTRODUCTION: This study was performed to address the pathological roles of the skeletal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in type 1 diabetes-induced osteoporosis and the effects of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker losartan on bones in diabetic mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bone histomorphology was detected by H&E staining, Safranin O ...

ABSTRACT The authors have extensive experience in surgery, anesthesia, and perioperative care in both miniature and domestic swine in the research setting. This manuscript describes the techniques that have been developed over the last four decades while developing porcine surgical models and their use in translational research. Swine are conditioned ...

In complex materials, how correlation between charge, spin, and lattice affects the emergent phenomena remains unclear. The newly discovered iron-based high-temperature superconductors and related compounds present to the community a prototype family of materials, where interplay between charge, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom can be explored. With the occurrence ...

The possibility of evolving a commonly existing biomolecule into a variety of functional biomolecules has now been realized in the form of aptamers through the development of in vitro selection. In addition to their high affinity and high specificity for the desired targets, aptamers are easily synthesized chemically and can ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Effective population sizes of 140 populations (including 60 dog breeds, 40 sheep breeds, 20 cattle breeds and 20 horse breeds) were computed using pedigree information and six different computation methods. Simple demographical information (number of breeding males and females), variance of progeny size, or evolution of identity by ...

The malignant brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) displays invasive growth behaviors that are regulated by extracellular matrix (ECM) cues within the neural microenvironment. The cell adhesion and signaling mechanisms that drive GBM invasion remain largely uncharacterized. Here we have utilized human GBM cell lines, primary patient samples, and pre-clinical mouse ...

In this work, an asymmetric swelling-dissolving process of original sub-micron sized decentered sulfonated polystyrene/silica (SPS/silica) particles in a ternary mixed solvent (water/ethanol/heptane) was first reported. Actinia-like and porous snowman-like SPS/silica composite particles are fabricated through tuning the composition of the ternary mixed solvent. Actinia-like particles, with a silica core embedded ...

Segmentation of the influenza A virus (IAV) genome enables rapid gene reassortment at the cost of complicating the task of assembling the full viral genome. By simultaneously probing for the expression of multiple viral proteins in MDCK cells infected at low multiplicity with IAV, we observe that the majority of ...

Activation of death receptor, Fas has been reported to produce a two-phase intracellular Ca(2+) release response in coronary arterial myocytes (CAMs), which consists of local Ca(2+) bursts via lysosomal transient potential receptor-mucolipin 1 (TRP-ML1) channels and consequent Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). The present study was designed to ...

Chokeberry anthocyanins are susceptible to degradation during processing and storage of processed products. In this study we determined the effects of three pH levels (2.8, 3.2, and 3.6) and four beta cyclodextrin (BCD) concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, and 3%) alone and in combination on the stability of chokeberry juice anthocyanins ...

The objective is to study the role of nitric oxide (NO) on cardiovascular regulation in healthy subjects and postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) patients. Reduced neuronal NO function, which could contribute to a hyperadrenergic state, and increased NO-induced vasodilation, which could contribute to orthostatic intolerance, have been reported in POTS. In ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Dengue virus (DENV) infection is the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral infection in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Guangzhou has the ideal environment for DENV transmission and DENV epidemics have been reported in this region for more than 30 years. FINDINGS: In this study, the epidemiological and virological characteristics ...

The phototransformation of triclosan has been a matter of longstanding interest due to both its prevalence in the environment and the discovery of 2,8 dichlorodibenzodioxin as a photoproduct. In this study, photolysis of triclosan resulted in several primary photoproducts including: 2,8-dichlorodibenzodioxin (4 %), 4,5'-dichloro-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2,2'-diol (10 %), 5-chloro-2-(4-chlorophenoxy)phenol (0.5 %), and ...

The year of 2012 has seen many significant publications in cardiac imaging, particularly in the modalities of cardiovascular magnetic resonance and cardiac computed tomography. This article will review in brief some of the most important studies with a particular emphasis on the new evidence base for perfusion imaging both by ...

There are 9.2 million people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. They're eligible for both programs either because they are younger than 65 years of age, disabled, and poor or because they are 65 or older and are poor or have exhausted their nonhousing assets paying for health ...

Context:Children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) who receive GH treatment have improved growth and body composition; however, data are lacking for adults when treatment is discontinued after completion of growth.Objectives:Our aim was to compare body composition and metabolic status in adults with PWS according to GH treatment in childhood and adolescence.Design:64 ...

We postulated that prostaglandin E2, which exhibits regulatory functions to control immune-mediated inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress and tissue/cellular regeneration, has the potential to improve the course of nephritis. Therefore, the therapeutic potential of prostanoid on established nephritis in mice was evaluated focusing on its role on renal cellular recovery, with ...

Purpose: To investigate the effects of rapamycin on the TNF-α-induced secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 in orbital fibroblasts and its possible mechanism. Materials and methods: Orbital fibroblasts were obtained from patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. IL-6 and IL-8 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The down-regulation of PDCD4 was ...

Foamy Viruses (FVs) are unique among retroviruses in performing genome reverse transcription (RTr) late in replication resulting in an infectious DNA genome and also in their unusual Pol biosynthesis and encapsidation strategy. In addition, FVs display only very limited Gag and Pol processing by the viral protease (PR) during particle ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of partial sleep deprivation (PSD) on circulating concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in relation to the secretory profiles of growth hormone (GH), cortisol, and testosterone during a repeated brief sprint interval exercise. Thirty healthy football players ...

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have demonstrated that D-cycloserine (DCS) facilitates exposure therapy. We developed a standardized test of this facilitation (i.e., a clinical assay), with the goal of testing for facilitation more quickly and inexpensively than a full clinical trial. METHOD: We developed a standardized brief exposure in which participants with ...

Supported biomimetic membranes (SBM) on solid substrates have been commonly prepared from vesicle-forming double-tail lipids, such as zwitterionic phospholipids, using the method of vesicle fusion. Here we report on the preparation of SBMs on silica surfaces via a similar process of "micelle fusion" from a cationic single-tail bolaamphiphile GLH-20 that ...

We treated a case that exhibited dissociation between blood flow in the transferred jejunum and the monitoring flap. The monitoring flap showed a false-negative, indicating blood flow to be favorable despite blood congestion in the transferred jejunum. The patient was a 69-year-old man. After tumor resection, reconstruction was performed with ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Long-term complications of sympathomimetic drug overdosing have not been adequately investigated in infants and young children. Despite reports discouraging their use in children, these formulations are frequently administered for "cold-like symptoms". Their frequent adverse events are different forms of arrhythmias, including multifocal atrial tachycardia. CASE PRESENTATION: A 3-year-old ...

Monodisperse and uniform Y(6)O(5)F(8):RE(3+) (RE = Yb, Er, and Ho) microarchitectures with various morphologies have been constructed by a facile surfactant-assisted hydrothermal route, and their up-conversion luminescence and NIR quantum cutting properties were investigated. Hollow hexagonal prisms, microbundle gatherings by rods, and solid hexagonal prisms were designed by employing CTAB, ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Most filarial species in the genus Onchocerca depend on Wolbachia endobacteria to successfully carry out their life cycle. O. flexuosa is a Wolbachia-free species, but its genome contains Wolbachia-like sequences presumably obtained from Wolbachia via horizontal gene transfer. Proteogenomic studies have shown that many of these Wolbachia-like sequences ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: To determine the validity of a semi-automated segmentation of bone marrow lesions (BMLs) in the knee. METHODS: Construct validity of the semi-automated BML segmentation method was explored in two studies performed using sagittal intermediate weighted, turbo spine echo, fat-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging sequences obtained from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. ...

BACKGROUND: Inverse associations between dietary protein and hypertension have been reported, which may be attributed to specific amino acids. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether the intake of glutamic acid, arginine, cysteine, lysine, or tyrosine was associated with blood pressure (BP) levels (n = 3086) and incident hypertension (n = 1810) in ...