A laser temperature-jump technique is used to probe the impact of sodium halides on the temperature-dependent switching kinetics and thermodynamics of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brushes. An analysis on the basis of a two-state model reveals van't Hoff enthalpy and entropy changes. Sodium halides increase the endothermicity and the entropic gain of the ...

We examined object permanence in black-and-white-ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) at Zoo Atlanta. A series of visible and invisible displacement tasks with suitable controls were presented to five adult subjects. Subjects performed significantly above chance on all regular tasks, except for the double invisible displacements. Subjects failed visible and invisible controls. ...

The charging characteristics of micron sized aqueous droplets have attracted more and more attentions due to the development of the microfluidics technology since the electrophoretic motion of a charged droplet can be used as the droplet actuation method. This work proposed a novel method of investigating the charging characteristics of ...

Introduction: Existing pathological diagnostic protocols for breast cancer do not fully reflect the biological characteristics of tumor stromata. To improve the pathological diagnosis of breast cancer, a new pathological diagnostic method capable of assessing the degree of breast cancer malignancy based on the histological features of the tumor stroma is ...

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are yielding ever higher volumes of genetic variation data. Given this large amount of data, it has become both a possibility and a priority to determine what the functional implication of genetic variations is. Considering the essential roles of acetylation in protein functions, it is highly ...

Few epidemiological studies have examined the association between an overall fatty acid (FA) profile and CHD risk. The aim of the present study was to examine a novel index that summarises individual FA levels based on FA affinity and fluidity in relation to CHD risk in men. In a prospective ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Carbonic anhydrase enzymes (CA) catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate in mammalian cells. Trans-membrane transport of CA-produced bicarbonate contributes significantly to cellular pH regulation. A body of evidence implicates pH-regulatory processes in the hypertrophic growth pathway characteristic of hearts as they fail. In particular, Na+/H+ ...

Rationale: Studies identify common factors important for a "good death." However, it is important for clinicians to individualize end-of-life care by eliciting patients' preferences. We sought to determine preferences for death and dying among veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by performing a cross-sectional study. Participants (n = 376) ...

Given the high infant measles mortality rate, there is interest in whether a measles immunization regimen beginning at <12 months of age provides lasting immunity. Measles-specific immune responses were evaluated in 70 children aged 5-10 years after primary measles vaccine administered at 6, 9, or 12 months. At 5-10 years ...

Abstract Conclusion: This study attempted to develop a new rat model of subglottic stenosis (SGS), resulting from subglottic mucosal injury administered by electrocauterization. Despite failure of the posterior SGS model, the anterior SGS model was considered feasible. Objective: To investigate the feasibility of using rats as an animal model for ...

BACKGROUND: Studies have consistently shown that Latinos with depression have lower adherence to antidepressant medication. Given that low adherence is associated with poorer response to treatment, this is a likely source of unequal care. The current study examined the efficacy of a motivational interviewing intervention for improving antidepressant adherence among ...

Lactococcal phages Tuc2009 and TP901-1 possess a conserved tail fibre, called a Tail-Associated Lysin (referred to as Tal2009 for Tuc2009, and Tal901-1 for TP901-1), suspended from their tail tips that projects a Peptidoglycan-Hydrolase (PGH) domain towards a potential host bacterium. Tal2009 and Tal901-1 can undergo proteolytic processing mid-protein at the ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Inappropriate use of antidepressants (AD), defined as either continuation in the absence of a proper indication or continuation despite the lack of therapeutic efficacy, applies to approximately half of all long term AD users.Methods/design: We have designed a cluster randomized controlled clinical trial to assess the (cost-) effectiveness ...

Nitrogen is a common structural element in the acceptor moieties of organic donor-acceptor nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores. In order to assess the effect of substitution with heavier group 15 elements, computational studies of the nonlinear optical properties of betaine derivatives, (CH(3))(3)X(+)CH(2)CO(2)(-) (X = N, P, As, Sb, Bi), have been ...

Although high-temperature superconductor cuprates have been discovered for more than 25 years, superconductors for high-field application are still based on low-temperature superconductors, such as Nb(3)Sn. The high anisotropies, brittle textures and high manufacturing costs limit the applicability of the cuprates. Here we demonstrate that the iron superconductors, without most of ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Myelosuppressive chemotherapy can lead to dose-limiting febrile neutropenia. Prophylactic use of recombinant human G-CSF such as daily filgrastim and once-per-cycle pegfilgrastim may reduce the incidence of febrile neutropenia. This comparative study examined the effect of pegfilgrastim versus daily filgrastim on the risk of hospitalization. METHODS: This retrospective United ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Vitamin K has been related to glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity and diabetes. Because inflammation underlies all these metabolic conditions, it is plausible that the potential role of vitamin K in glucose metabolism occurs through the modulation of cytokines and related molecules. The purpose of the study was to ...

In an earlier study of the effect of transition metal ions on the production of singlet oxygen by dyes it was found that four ions, namely Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Co(2+) and Co(3+) suppress singlet oxygen production altogether, provided the dyes are made ligands in coordination complexes of the ions. By this ...

A multi-scale, multi-phase thermokinetic model is used to show the effective control of the growth orientation of thin Si nanowires for nanoelectronic devices enabled by nanoscale plasma chemistry. It is shown that very thin Si nanowires with [110] growth direction can nucleate at much lower process temperatures and pressures compared ...

Background-There are no published data on cardiovascular health from a national representative sample in a European country.Methods and Results-Data were taken from a cross-sectional study among 11 408 persons representative of the Spanish population ≥18 years of age during 2008 to 2010. Information was collected at participants' homes through structured ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Obesity is regarded as a potential risk factor for atopy. The aim of this study was to assess the associations of obesity with atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma and food allergy in Chinese adults. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty six (266) atopic cases in Harbin, China, were identified according ...

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and cardiometabolic risk in children and the effect of vitamin D supplementation on risk. We included 35 clinical trials, cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, and cohort studies that evaluated the relationship between 25OHD and blood ...

Risk stratification after pregnancy with GDM is based on screening with the 2h-OGTT. Actually, prediabetes and diabetes are diagnosed by impaired fasting (FPG) and 120'-post load glucose levels (120'-PLG). We hypothesized that the clinical information could be improved by including measurements at different time points from the OGTT in the ...

BACKGROUND: Microbe-induced over-activation of cytokines, especially TNF-α, is key to the pathogenesis of hantavirus infection leading to severe inflammation with high mortality rate. Although ribavirin showed promises in inhibiting viral replication in vitro, its clinical efficacy remains controversial. METHODS: Various concentrations of ribavirin were used to determine its effect on ...

The neuropeptide orexin is synthesized by neurons exclusively located in the hypothalamus. However, these neurons send axons over virtually the entire brain and spinal cord and therefore constitute a unique central orexinergic system. it is well known that central orexin plays a crucial role in the regulation of various basic ...

IntroductionThe incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer are rapidly rising in several countries in Asia. However, screening guidelines are lacking.Sources of dataReview of literature and local data published in peer review journals.Areas of agreementThe incidence, anatomical distribution and mortality of colorectal cancer among Asian populations are comparable to those in ...

In 2002 and 2006, review papers have described the Finnish Twin Cohort and studies conducted on these population-based, longitudinal data sets with extensive follow-up data. Three cohorts have been established: the older twin cohort in the 1970s, and the Finntwin12 and Finntwin16 studies initiated in the 1990s. The present review ...

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are highly effective in treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) but do not eliminate leukemia stem cells (LSC), which remain a potential source of relapse. TKI treatment effectively inhibits BCR-ABL kinase activity in CML LSC, suggesting that additional kinase-independent mechanisms contribute to LSC preservation. We investigated ...

Primate feeding behavior varies over long (e.g., weekly, seasonally, yearly) and short (e.g., hourly) scales of time due to changes in resource availability and the nutritional composition of foods. While the factors that affect long-term changes in feeding behavior have received considerable attention, few data exist regarding what drives variability ...

Background: The current study aimed to determine the accuracy of UHear™, a downloadable audiometer on to an iPod Touch©, when compared with conventional audiometry. Methods: Participants were enrolled primary school scholars. A total number of eighty-six participants (172 ears) were included. Of these eighty-six participants, forty-four were female and forty-two ...

Compared with the knowledge of maternal care, much less is known about the factors required for paternal parental care. Here we report that new sires of laboratory mice, though not spontaneously parental, can be induced to show maternal-like parental care (pup retrieval) using signals from dams separated from their pups. ...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Lygodium flexuosum (Linn) Sw. is a climbing fern, and it is the sole genus in the family Lygodiaceae. It commonly grows epiphytically on moss covered tree trunks and branches as lithophytes on shady boulders along with moss. It has been reported as a traditional folkloric medicine for a ...

Introduction. Spinal Dural Fistulas (SDAVF) are the most common Spinal Vascular Malformation. The management of SDAVFs has revolved around embolization or surgical interruption. The management strategy employed at this centre is to attempt embolization as first line therapy and to opt for surgery in the event of failure. Method. This ...

Protein arrays are a high-throughput approach for proteomic profiling vital for achieving a greater understanding of biological systems in addition to disease diagnostics and monitoring therapeutic treatments. In this work, zwitterionic carboxybetaine polymer (pCB) coated substrates were investigated as an array surface platform to enable convenient amino-coupling chemistry on a ...

We present a novel and simple method for forming hexagonal gold nanoparticle arrays that uses Coulombic interactions between negatively charged gold nanoparticles on positively charged vertically oriented poly(4-vinylpyridine) cylinders formed in a spin cast polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) block copolymer film. Exposure of the block copolymer film to dibromobutane vapor quaternizes and crosslinks ...

Background. Mortality among patients with Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) is high. Because of high age and multiple underlying diseases, CDI-related mortality is difficult to estimate. We estimated (CDI-related) mortality in an endemic situation, not influenced by outbreaks and consequently certain patients and C. difficile strains.Methods. Between 2006 and 2009, 13 Dutch hospitals ...

The concept of ligand bias at G protein-coupled receptors broadens the possibilities for agonist activities and provides the opportunity to develop safer, more selective therapeutics. Morphine pharmacology in beta-arrestin2 knock out mice suggested that a ligand that promotes coupling of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) to G proteins, but not beta-arrestins, ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine rates of carriage of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli and extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) among dogs in a specialist referral hospital and to examine the population structure of the isolates. METHODS: Fluoroquinolone-resistant faecal E. coli isolates (n = 232, from 23 of 123 dogs) recovered from hospitalized dogs in a ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Despite major progress made over the past 10 years, malaria remains one of the primary causes of ill health in developing countries in general, and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Whilst a large literature has documented the frequency and severity of malaria infections for children under-five years, relatively ...

Background:Lobular endocervical glandular hyperplasia (LEGH) is a rare lesion of the uterine cervix. It has been proposed that LEGH may represent a precursor lesion to a group of mucinous adenocarcinoma with gastric phenotype (GA) that is independent of high-risk human papillomavirus (H-HPV) infection. Carbonic anhydrase-IX (CA-IX) is highly expressed in ...

Background. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is marked by profound defects in T cell function. Programmed death-1 is a receptor involved in tumor-mediated immunosuppression through binding of the PD-L1 ligand. Design and Methods. Multiparameter flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry were used to study PD-1/PD-L1 expression. Functional assays were used to determine the involvement ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study is to analyze the incidence of hip fracture as a complication of admissions to internal medicine units in Spain. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical data of 2,134,363 adults who had been admitted to internal medicine wards. The main outcome was a diagnosis ...

Complex and flexible food processing was a key element for the evolutionary success of hominins, enlarging the range of exploitable foods while enabling occupation of new habitats. Only a few primate species crack open encased food by using percussive tools and/or avoid physical contact with irritant compounds by removing the ...

The midbrain GABAergic neurons control several aspects of behaviour, play important roles in psychiatric disease and are targets of medical treatments as well as drugs of abuse. However, their molecular diversity and regulation of development are only beginning to be understood. In this review we briefly introduce distinct subpopulations of ...

Crocodilians are a group of reptiles that are closely related to birds and are thought to possess a strong immune system. Here we report that the IgH locus in the Siamese crocodile and the Chinese alligator contains multiple μ genes, in contrast to other tetrapods. Both the μ2 and μ3 ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: While the safety of celecoxib has been investigated, there are limited data available on complications affecting the entire (upper and lower) gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with no patient-level pooled analyses of upper and lower GI outcomes available. We therefore evaluated the upper and lower GI safety of celecoxib using ...

BackgroundThe presence of glomerular filtration in dialysis patients is associated with improved survival and quality of life. This study explores the time course of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) between 1 year before and 1 year after the start of haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD).MethodsThis study included 1861 incident ...

For the past decade, DISC1 has been studied as a promising lead to understand the biology underlying major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Consequently, many review articles on DISC1 have been published. In this article, rather than repeating comprehensive overviews of research articles, we will introduce the utility of DISC1 ...

Understanding how to engineer nanomaterials for targeted solar-cell applications is the key to improving their efficiency and could lead to breakthroughs in their design. Proposed mechanisms for the conversion of solar energy to electricity are those exploiting the particle nature of light in conventional photovoltaic cells, and those using the ...

Two-dimensional (2D) sheets are currently in the spotlight of nanotechnology owing to high-performance device fabrication possibilities. Building a free-standing quantum sheet with controlled morphology is challenging when large planar geometry and ultranarrow thickness are simultaneously concerned. Coalescence of nanowires into large single-crystalline sheet is a promising approach leading to large, ...