BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine relations and influences between work-related factors, personal resources, work engagement and work ability of surgeons working in German hospitals. METHODS: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey investigation. We used the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire and ...

Global spread and limited genetic variation are hallmarks of M. tuberculosis, the agent of human tuberculosis. In contrast, Mycobacterium canettii and related tubercle bacilli that also cause human tuberculosis and exhibit unusual smooth colony morphology are restricted to East Africa. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the whole genomes of five ...

The aim of the study was to review the main clinical, imaging and pathological features of hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML). We retrospectively analyzed the imaging, pathological and clinical features of 178 patients who underwent surgical resection for HAML. Forty-three males and 135 females with a median age of 43.5 years (range: 17-76 years) ...

The anti-Trypanosoma brucei brucei activity in vitro and in vivo of a lactone-rich fraction of Vernonia blumeoides leaves (VBLF) and its potential in alleviating trypanosome-induced anemia and organ damage were investigated. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of VBLF revealed the presence of a number of lactone-containing compounds. In an in ...

Individuals with developmental disorders frequently report a range of social cognition deficits including difficulties identifying facial displays of emotion. This study examined the specificity of face emotion processing deficits in adolescents with either autism or 22q11DS compared to typically developing (TD) controls. Two tasks (face emotion recognition and weather scene ...

The objective of this study was to identify predictors for remission or low disease activity (LDA) in established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at 12 months of anti-TNF-α therapy. We have performed a prospective observational study in 90 consecutive patients with active RA receiving TNF-α inhibitors. Baseline and standard assessments were done every ...

Obesity develops as a result of altered energy homeostasis favoring fat storage. Here we describe a new transcription co-regulator for adiposity and energy metabolism, SERTA domain containing 2 (TRIP-Br2, also called SERTAD2). TRIP-Br2-null mice are resistant to obesity and obesity-related insulin resistance. Adipocytes of these knockout mice showed greater stimulated ...

The use of caffeine as an ergogenic aid to promote endurance has been widely studied, with human literature showing the greatest benefit during submaximal muscle activities. Recent evidence suggests that the acute treatment of skeletal muscle with physiological concentrations of caffeine (70 μM maximum) will directly potentiate force production. The aims ...

With growing evidence on the role of inflammation in carcinogenesis, the presence of a systemic inflammatory response has been proposed as having prognostic significance in a wide range of cancers. The aim of the study was to assess the value of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting disease-specific survival (DSS) ...

We observed an abnormal contraction pattern in the right ventricle (RV) in postoperative tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) patients when measuring the regional contribution to global stroke volume (rSV) of 20 RV slices from apex to base. We compared the rSV method's performance with the centersurface method which offers greater flexibility ...

A hierarchically patterned metal/semiconductor (gold nanoparticles/ZnO nanowires) nanostructure with maximized photon trapping effects is fabricated via interference lithography (IL) for plasmon enhanced photo-electrochemical water splitting in the visible region of light. Compared with unpatterned (plain) gold nanoparticles-coated ZnO NWs (Au NPs/ZnO NWs), the hierarchically patterned Au NPs/ZnO NWs hybrid structures ...

The cytoplasm is the largest part of the cell by volume and hence its rheology sets the rate at which cellular shape changes can occur. Recent experimental evidence suggests that cytoplasmic rheology can be described by a poroelastic model, in which the cytoplasm is treated as a biphasic material consisting ...

MicroRNA-372 (miR-372) has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in cellular proliferation and apoptosis of cancer cells. However, its effects in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of miR-372 in human HCC. Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to ...

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of hemostatic matrix (HM) and electrosurgical bipolar coagulation (EBC) on ovarian reserve in patients undergoing endometrioma surgery. METHODS: Thirty patients with single ovarian endometrioma ≥4 cm were randomized to two groups. Ovarian reserve after laparoscopic excision of endometrioma was assessed by serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH); preoperatively ...

Lumen dimensions measured by time-domain optical coherence tomography (TD-OCT) may be influenced by the hemodynamic effect of proximal balloon occlusion. Frequency-domain OCT (FD-OCT) does not require the interruption of blood flow. Therefore, we compared the coronary lumen dimensions measured by TD-OCT, FD-OCT, and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in both stented and ...

OBJECTIVES: To reveal change patterns in self-reported lifestyle data for 9 years, and examine the characteristics of changes by type of lifestyle and ageing. METHODS: The authors used the lifestyle data of 7,080 male workers aged 20-59 who received checkups for 9 years. The proportions of change patterns during the 9 years were ...

INTRODUCTION: Medulloblastoma is the most common pediatric central nervous system tumor; however, the causes are not well established. There has been some emphasis on mutations in developmental pathways and their impact on tumor pathology in hereditary diseases, but, in order to better understand the nature of diseases like medulloblastoma, other ...

One of the main goals of organic and molecular electronics is to relate the performance and electronic function of devices to the chemical structure and intermolecular interactions of the organic component inside them, which can take the form of an organic thin film, a self-assembled monolayer or a single molecule. ...

The development of gene silencing therapies for neurological diseases has placed great importance on the delivery of short interfering RNA (siRNA) to the central nervous system (CNS). However, delivery of siRNA to neurons, glia and brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) has not been well established. This editorial describes different approaches ...

INTRODUCTION: High ligation and division of the hernia sac are the two important steps in open pediatric indirect inguinal hernia repair. We describe a laparoscopically assisted method of delivering the hernia sac through a 5-mm micro-incision with complete division and high ligation of the hernia sac similar to the open ...

PURPOSE: To investigate if effects of the first single dose of tamsulosin 0.4 mg on uroflowmetry parameters would predict treatment response at the third month. METHODS: Men over 40 years old with complaints of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia were studied with physical examination, urine and blood analysis, ...

The late sodium current has been increasingly recognized for its mechanistic role in various cardiovascular pathologies, including angina pectoris, myocardial ischemia, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and congenital long QT syndrome. Although relatively small in magnitude, the late sodium current (I(NaL)) represents a functionally relevant contributor to cardiomyocyte (electro)physiology. Many aspects ...

We report a case of biliary tract infection caused by a strain of Burkholderia contaminans, a member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. The patient developed sepsis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Gram-negative bacilli were isolated from blood and bile cultures. Automated bacterial identification systems identified the organism as Burkholderia cepacia, ...

All Kv7 potassium channels require membrane phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P(2)) for their normal function and hence can be physiologically regulated by neurotransmitters and hormones that stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis. Recent mutational analysis indicates that a cluster of basic residues in the proximal C-terminus (K354/K358/R360/K362) is crucial for PI(4,5)P(2) activation of cardiac Kv7.1 channels. ...

The present study investigated the roles of folic acid and DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in the differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). Neonatal rat NSCs were grown in suspended neurosphere cultures and identified by their expression of SOX2 protein and capacity for self-renewal. Then NSCs were assigned to five treatment groups ...

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to explore the participation in physical activity (PA) by colorectal cancer survivors across cancer trajectories and based on selected demographic and medical variables. METHODS: A total of 431 participants were surveyed individually at the Shinchon Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea, to determine their ...

Our objective is to investigate the expression of CD147 and metallo-proteinase 9 (MMP9) in patients with basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) so as to determine whether these two genes may be correlated with prognosis of BLBC. We examined the expression of the CD147 and MMP9 in BLBC by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, we ...

Introduction: Spinal cord disorders (SCDs) are among the most devastating neurological diseases, due to their acute and long-term health consequences, the reduced quality of life and the high economic impact on society. Here, drug administration is severely limited by the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) that impedes to reach the cord ...

Regeneration of the nervous system requires either the repair or replacement of nerve cells that have been damaged by injury or disease. While lower organisms possess extensive capacity for neural regeneration, evolutionarily higher organisms including humans are limited in their ability to regenerate nerve cells, posing significant issues for the ...

Nine low-functioning children with profound expressive language impairment and autism were studied in terms of their responsiveness to a computer-based learning program designed to assess syntactic awareness. The children learned to touch words on a screen in the correct sequence in order to see a corresponding animation, such as 'monkey ...

The initiation of gene transcription by RNA polymerase II is regulated by a plethora of proteins in human cells. The first general transcription factor to bind gene promoters is transcription factor IID (TFIID). TFIID triggers pre-initiation complex formation, functions as a coactivator by interacting with transcriptional activators and reads epigenetic ...

Graphene oxide (GO) has been extensively explored in nanomedicine for its excellent physiochemical, electrical, and optical properties. Here, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethylenimine (PEI) are covalently conjugated to GO via amide bonds, obtaining a physiologically stable dual-polymer-functionalized nano-GO conjugate (NGO-PEG-PEI) with ultra-small size. Compared with free PEI and the GO-PEI ...

BACKGROUND: Cyanobacteria possess Aquaporin-Z membrane channels (AqpZ) which have been suggested to mediate the water efflux underlying osmostress-inducible gene expression and to be essential for glucose metabolism under photomixotrophic growth. However, preliminary observations suggest that the biophysical properties of transport and physiological meaning of AqpZ in such photosynthetic microorganisms are ...

Measurement of protease activity in living cells or organisms remains a challenging task. We here present a transgene-encoded biosensor that reports the proteolytic activity of caspase-1 in the course of inflammasome activation and that of other proteases in a highly sensitive and specific manner. This protease reporter is based on ...

Many non-surgical treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have significantly improved in the last few decades and have shown survival benefits for selected patients with HCC. Today ablation can improve survival in individuals diagnosed in early HCC and even offer a curative treatment in selected candidates. Patients with intermediate-stage HCC benefit ...

The objective of this study was to investigate the independent correlated factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prognosis in T2 gastric cancer patients. A total of 135 pathologically confirmed T2 gastric cancer patients who received a gastrectomy at the Beijing University Cancer Hospital from Dec 1999 to Dec 2006 ...

The objective of this paper is to compare in silico data with wet lab physicochemical properties of crude laccase enzyme isolated from Rigidoporus sp. using wheat bran as solid substrate support towards dye decolorization. Molecular docking analysis of selected nine textile and non-textile dyes were performed using laccase from Rigidoporus ...

In the past decade, surgical treatment of skull base pathologies has greatly advanced through the advent of the endoscope and later of the high definition endoscope. Recently a new type of three dimensional (3D) scope has been introduced to permit the surgeon a real stereoscopic vision of the operating field ...

Autoimmune vasculitides can have diverse neurological manifestations, including posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is an uncommon vasculitis rarely associated with PRES. Common clinical features of TA include hypertension, audible arterial bruits, absence of peripheral pulses, claudication of the extremities, reduced blood pressure in one or both arms, ...

To comprehend the potential consequences of biodiversity loss on the leaf litter decomposition process, a better understanding of its underlying mechanisms is necessary. Here, we hypothesize that positive litter mixture effects occur via complementary resource use, when litter species complement each other in terms of resource quality for detritivores. To ...

A 5.4-kDa antifungal peptide was purified from Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. "northeast red bean" using a protocol that entailed affinity chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The molecular mass was determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the peptide was highly homologous to ...

Neurons in primary sensory cortex have diverse response properties, whereas higher cortical areas are specialized. Specific connectivity may be important for areal specialization, particularly in the mouse, where neighboring neurons are functionally diverse. To examine whether higher visual areas receive functionally specific input from primary visual cortex (V1), we used ...

In this study, the catalytic activity of aldehyde oxidase was investigated in various water-miscible organic solvents for the first time. The enzyme was partially purified from rabbit liver, and its activity was determined in the absence/presence of nine hydro-organic mixtures. The effects of pH and temperature on the enzyme activity ...

The structure of the Ar⋅⋅⋅propargyl alcohol (Ar⋅⋅⋅PA) complex is determined from the rotational spectra of the parent complex and its two deuterated isotopologues, namely Ar⋅⋅⋅PA-D(OD) and Ar⋅⋅⋅PA-D(CD). The spectra confirm a geometry in which PA exists in the gauche form with Ar located in between OH and CCH groups. All ...

OBJECTIVE: With advances in clinical medicine, many premature babies nowadays can have excellent survival outcomes. As the incidence of inguinal hernias in this group is high and there is scarce data in the literature regarding the optimal timing for repair, this study aims to review our experience in laparoscopic repair ...

The ablative fractional laser is a new modality used for surgical resurfacing. It is expected that laser treatment can generally deliver drugs into and across the skin, which is toxicologically relevant. The aim of this study was to establish skin absorption characteristics of antibiotics, sunscreens, and macromolecules via laser-treated skin ...

Glycoproteomics is an important aspect in the research of cancer biomarker discovery. The objective of our study is to screen the profile of serum glycoproteins in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and to discover differentially expressed glycoproteins in HCC with or without metastasis. We collected serum from HCC patients and divided ...

This paper describes an in-depth analysis to investigate the huge variation in the measured roadside air-pollutant concentrations of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide in terms of the traffic flow levels, the orientation of the street to the prevailing wind, the wind speed, temperature and barometric pressure. The work has attempted ...

Indirect predator effects on prey demography include any effect not attributable to direct killing and can be mediated by perceived predation risk. Though perceived predation risk clearly affects foraging, few studies have yet demonstrated that it can chronically alter food intake to an extent that affects demography. Recent studies have ...

Sessile serrated adenoma/polyps (SSA/Ps) of the colon are thought to be precursors of sporadic carcinomas. Although it is suggested that SSA/P may grow rapidly from the early stage, its cell kinetics remains obscure. To solve this problem, we analyzed the mitotic and apoptotic activity of normal crypts, microvesicular hyperplastic polyps ...