BACKGROUND: Most HIV-seropositive people who develop AIDS die from an opportunistic infection, such as pulmonary mycosis, rather than the HIV infection itself. Data on the pattern of respiratory mycoses and the immunological profile of HIV-seropositive patients in Nigeria are scarce and uncoordinated, so we investigated respiratory mycosis and CD4 count ...

A computer aided ligand design study of imidazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives was conducted in order to obtain compounds with dual 5-HT(1A) receptor and serotonin transporter (SERT) affinity. According to molecular modeling results, series of Mannich bases were chosen and synthesized. Investigated compounds were tested for 5-HT(1A) , 5-HT(2A) , α(1) and SERT ...

A study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding yeast cell wall (YCW) products on the physiological and acute phase responses of crossbred, newly-received feedlot heifers to an endotoxin challenge. Heifers (n = 24; 219 ± 2.4 kg) were separated into treatment groups receiving either a control diet (n ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the duration of faecal carriage of CTX-M-15-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in infants colonized during a nosocomial neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) outbreak after discharge from hospital, possible risk factors for long-term colonization and transmission to household contacts (HCs). METHODS: Fifty-one infants colonized with two unrelated clones of CTX-M-15 ...

Liposomes offer a method to encapsulate high concentrations of a drug, protecting the therapeutic upon in vivo administration. With an appropriate mechanism to manipulate lipid bilayer permeability, liposomes have the potential to deliver encapsulated drugs in a spatially and temporally controlled manner. In this investigation the photosensitizer aluminum phthalocyanine disulfonic ...

All mammalian cone photopigments are derived from the operation of representatives from two opsin gene families (SWS1 and LWS in marsupial and eutherian mammals; SWS2 and LWS in monotremes), a process that produces cone pigments with respective peak sensitivities in the short and middle-to-long wavelengths. With the exception of a ...

Evidence from numerous Pan-African savannah mammals indicates that open-habitat refugia existed in Africa during the Pleistocene, isolated by expanding tropical forests during warm and humid interglacial periods. However, comparative data from other taxonomic groups are currently lacking. We present a phylogeographic investigation of the African puff adder (Bitis arietans), a ...

Terminal erythroid differentiation is the process during which proerythroblasts differentiate to produce enucleated reticulocytes. While it is well established that during murine erythropoiesis in vivo, one proerythroblast undergoes three mitosis to generate sequentially 2 basophilic, 4 polychromatic and 8 orthochromatic erythroblasts, currently there is no method to quantitatively monitor this ...

Acute viral bronchiolitis (AVB) is the most common disorder and the leading cause of respiratory failure in infants (<24 months of age). Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common pathogen (85%), but other organisms produce a similar clinical picture.(1) The disease can be graded as severe, moderate or mild and, ...

The cellular functions of the serine/threonine protein kinase D (PKD) have been extensively studied within the last decade and distinct roles such as fission of vesicles at the Golgi compartment, coordination of cell migration and invasion, and regulation of gene transcription have been correlated with this kinase family. Here, we ...

Symmetrical lipomatosis of the tongue is an extremely rare condition. To date, only eight cases have been reported in the literature. We present an extremely rare case of intramuscular lipomatosis of the tongue in a 67-year-old male. The present case is unique because of its infiltrating nature and the extension ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The so-called smoking-thrombolysis paradox of an improved outcome after thrombolysis was first described in smokers with myocardial infarction. We investigated whether reperfusion rates and clinical outcome differ between smokers and nonsmokers with ischemic stroke after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. METHODS: Consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients, who had ...

BACKGROUND: Complication rates of living-donor right hepatectomy remain a matter of major concern. The aim of this study was to achieve near-zero morbidity for living-donor right hepatectomy in a single centre. METHODS: All living donors who underwent right hepatectomy between January 2005 and September 2011 were enrolled in this retrospective ...

Dysfunctional regulation of brain dopamine (DA) functions has been found in patients with drug addiction and various neurological disorders that frequently accompany disturbance in sleep behavior. In this study, the roles of the dopaminergic nervous system on the regulation of daily locomotor activity rhythm were investigated in Drosophila melanogaster. Reduced ...

It is not known whether, in obesity, the capillary density or the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are reduced, or whether fibrosis of small vessels is also present. In addition, possible effects of weight reduction on these parameters have never been evaluated. Therefore, we investigated EPCs and capillary ...

A method for the fabrication of a wedge-shaped thin NiO lamella by focused ion beam is reported. The starting sample is an oxidized bulk single crystalline, ⟨100⟩ oriented, Ni commercial standard. The lamella is employed for the determination, by analytical electron microscopy at 200 kV of the experimental k(O-Ni) Cliff-Lorimer ...

OBJECTIVESAlthough video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is widely used for the resection of a mediastinal mass, it is converted to an open resection in some patients with a mature teratoma because of dense adhesions. We reviewed cases with a mature teratoma removed by VATS and investigated the indications for that procedure ...

The Fukushima accident led to high radionuclide releases into the atmosphere for more than 3 weeks. This situation has not been assumed when the concepts of nuclear emergency preparedness were developed internationally. The results of simulations studying potential implications of Fukushima-like source terms on nuclear emergency preparedness are presented. Two ...

Impregnated activated carbons (IAC) are widely used materials for the removal of toxic gases in personal respiratory protection applications. The combinatorial method has been employed to prepare IACs containing different types of metal oxides in various proportions and evaluate their adsorption performance for low molecular weight gases such as SO2 ...

BACKGROUNDHematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) are mostly used as supportive measures to reduce infectious complications associated with neutropenia. Over the past decade, the use of HGFs became a common method for mobilizing human CD34+ stem cells, either for autologous or allogeneic transplantation. However, since their introduction the long-term safety of the ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The ovine stifle joint is an important location for investigations on the repair of articular cartilage defects in preclinical large animals. The classical medial parapatellar approach to the femoral trochlea is hazardous because of the high risk of postoperative patellar luxation. Here, we describe a low morbidity surgical ...

Understanding the interactions between proteins and ligands is critical for protein function annotations and drug discovery. We report a new sequence-based template-free predictor (TargetATPsite) to identify the Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) binding sites with machine-learning approaches. Two steps are implemented in TargetATPsite: binding residues and pockets predictions, respectively. To predict the binding ...

INTRODUCTION: Immature platelet fraction (IPF) is a parameter for reticulated platelets. A high percentage IPF (%-IPF) is indicative of consumptive or recovering thrombocytopenic disorders in contrast to a low %-IPF seen in aplastic states. Absolute IPF (A-IPF) specifically reflects the number of immature platelets in circulation. This study aimed to ...

At present, approximately 25% of drugs in modern pharmacopoeia are derived from plant sources (phytomedicines) that can be developed for the treatment of diseases and disorders. Many other drugs are synthetic analogues built on the prototype compounds isolated from plants. Cocos nucifera Linn. (Arecaceae), which is commonly known as coconut, ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The validity of survey-based health care utilization estimates in the older population has been poorly researched. Owing to data protection legislation and a great number of different health care insurance providers, the assessment of recall and non-response bias is challenging to impossible in many countries. The objective of ...

The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering efficacy of switching to ezetimibe/simvastatin (EZ/S) 10/20 mg versus doubling the run-in statin dose (to simvastatin 40 mg or atorvastatin 20 mg) or switching to rosuvastatin 10 mg in subjects with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes was assessed. Endpoints included percentage change in LDL-C ...

Marburg virus (MARV) and Ebola virus, members of the family Filoviridae, cause lethal haemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. Although the outbreaks are concentrated mainly in Central Africa, these viruses are potential agents of imported infectious diseases and bioterrorism in non-African countries. Recent studies demonstrated that nonhuman primates passively ...

Neuroglobins, previously thought to be restricted to vertebrate neurons, were detected in the brain of a photosymbiotic acoel, Symsagittifera roscoffensis, and in neuro-sensory cells of the jellyfish Clytia hemisphaerica. For the neuroglobin of S. roscoffensis, a member of a lineage that originated either at the base of the bilateria or ...

Parametric and semiparametric competing risks methods were used to estimate proportions, timing, and predictors of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related and non-AIDS-related mortality among individuals both positive and negative for the human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) from 1984 ...

Ray of light: 10a,11-dihydro-10H-benzo[b]fluorenes were synthesized by a visible-light catalyzed tandem cyclization of 1,6-enynes with arylsulfonyl chlorides. This method extends the scope of enyne cyclizations and represents a new synthetic application of arylsulfonyl chlorides.

Background:Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) is an immune receptor recognising bacterial flagellin. Activation of TLR5 results in cancer invasion and cytokine release. As certain bacteria have been linked to oral cancer, we wanted to study TLR5 expression in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC).Methods:Samples from 119 patients with OTSCC were obtained, ...

AbstractTissue factor (TF), a 47-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein that initiates blood coagulation when complexed with factor VIIa (FVIIa), is expressed in several tumor types. TF has been shown to play a role in cell signaling, inflammation, angiogenesis, as well as tumor growth and metastasis. Activation of the TF signaling pathway has ...

Similar yet different: The reaction of a GeBr solution with K[FeCp(CO)(2) ] (Cp=η-C(5) H(5) ) gives [Ge(12) {FeCp(CO)(2) }(8) {FeCp(CO)}(2) ] (1), whose oblong, highly cross-linked cluster core reveals a cut-out of the high-pressure solid-state structure of germanium (II). Mass spectrometric investigations on the gas-phase species [Ge(6) {FeCp(CO)(2) }(6) {FeCp(CO)}](-) ...

Summary: Ligand binding to the heme distal side is a paradigm of biochemistry. However, X-ray crystallographic studies highlighted the possibility that O(2) and NO(2) (-) may bind to the proximal heme side of ferrous human hemoglobin (Hb) α-chains complexed with the α-hemoglobin stabilizing protein and to ferric human hemoglobin β-chains, ...

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an ethanol extract of the leaves and inflorescence of Mallotus oppositifolius collected in Madagascar led to the isolation of the two new bioactive dimeric phloroglucinols mallotojaponins B (1) and C (2), together with the known mallotophenone (3). The structures of the new compounds were determined on the ...

PET with (15)O gas has been used for the quantitative measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO(2)), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and cerebral blood volume (CBV) in humans. However, several technical difficulties limit its use in experiments on small animals. Herein, we describe the application ...

Objective:In 1987, the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) rate in the United States was 1.2 per 1000 live births. By the year 2005, the SIDS rate had dropped more than half to approximately 0.5 per 1000 live births. In 1987, the risk of SIDS was 2.32 times greater for extremely ...

A facile and efficient synthetic route to multi-substituted 2-aminopyridines has been developed via a formal [5C + 1N] annulation of readily available 2,4-pentadienenitriles with hydroxylamine (NH(2)OH) under very mild conditions, which involves sequential intermolecular aza-nucleophilic addition of hydroxylamine, intramolecular aza-cyclization, and dehydration reactions.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Epicutaneous sensitization with protein allergen that induces predominant Th2 responses is an important sensitization route in atopic dermatitis. Fungal components have been shown to modulate Th cell differentiation. However, the effects of fungal components on epicutaneous sensitization are unclear. RESULTS: In this study, we showed that co-administration of ...

AIMS: In the US, higher SES (socio-economic status) groups and white Americans tend to be "healthier" than less advantaged groups. Elimination of disparities is a major public health goal. This study examines disparities for two highly prevalent medical conditions - depression and chronic back pain - and selected medical conditions ...

We study quantum interference effects in a 4-level system which can be used as a minimal model to understand such behavior in systems from synthetic molecular structures to the photosystem-1 reaction center. The effects of environmental decoherence and relaxation on the electron transfer rate are investigated for several types of ...

A combination of molecular and stable isotope analyses was used to trace and identify the sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in sediments of Lake Bled (NW Slovenia). Sediment samples were taken from two locations with contrasting depositional regimes: Zaka Bay, with permanently oxic bottom and station D, where anoxic ...

This study aimed to determine the safety and activity of the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat in patients with relapsed/refractory Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (WM). Eligibility criteria included patients with relapsed/refractory WM with any number of prior therapy. Patients received panobinostat at 30 mg three times a week; 12/36 (33%) patients were enrolled ...

We analyzed the data for 53 patients with histologically proven primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with radiotherapy between February 2006 and August 2009. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced (CE)-CT and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET before radiation therapy planning (RTP) to define the gross tumor volume (GTV). The PET-based ...

McCune-Albright Syndrome (MAS) is a human genetic disorder caused by a mutation that constitutively activates the Gsα subunit by abolishing GTP hydrolysis. MAS patients suffer from a range of endocrinopathies as well as polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone. We previously identified an intragenic suppressor of the MAS mutation in a ...

The type III secretion systems (T3SSs) are exploited by many Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria to deliver a set of effector proteins into host cytosol during cell entry. The T3SS of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is composed of more than 20 proteins that constitute the membrane-associated base, needle and the tip complex ...

Objective: To examine relationships between umbilical and internal carotid artery Doppler findings and cognitive development at 3 and 6 years in small for gestational age (SGA) children. Methods: SGA children (birthweight <10(th) centile) born after 28 weeks' with umbilical artery (UA) resistance index (RI) measured within 2 weeks of delivery. ...

Diabetes mellitus is a common chronic disease all over the world. Self-management plays a crucial role in diabetes management. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize what is known about the interactions between adult persons with diabetes, their family, and diabetes self-management. MEDLINE, CINAHL, PSYCHINFO, LINDA, and MEDIC ...

OBJECTIVES: This study screened hospital sewage for the presence of bla(NDM). METHODS: Colonies grown from plates containing meropenem streaked with hospital sewage were screened for bla(NDM) by PCR. Species identification was performed by sequencing 16S rRNA genes. Clonal relatedness of isolates was determined by Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence-PCR, sequencing ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the levels of objectively-measured sedentary behavior in children attending Montessori preschools with those attending traditional preschools. METHODS: The participants in this study were preschool children aged 4 years old who were enrolled in Montessori and traditional preschools. The preschool children wore ActiGraph accelerometers. ...