Measurement of blood haemoglobin concentration by pulse oximetry could be of value in determining when erythrocytes should be transfused during surgery, but the effect of infusion fluids on the results is unclear. To study the effect of crystalloid and colloid fluid on the accuracy (bias) and precision of pulse oximetry ...

ABSTRACT: Although computed tomography (CT) scan radiation dose has drawn much attention, radiation dose from nuclear medicine procedures should not be overlooked. An estimated 19.7 million nuclear medicine procedures are done annually in the United States, with patient radiation dose comparable to that from CT scans. Nuclear medicine departments should ...

This report describes the project to identify the global distribution of extended HLA haplotypes, a component of 16th International HLA and Immunogenetics Workshop (IHIW), and summarizes the initial analyses of data collected. The project aims to investigate extended HLA haplotypes, compare their distribution among different populations, assess their frequency in ...

The natural course of hepatitis B virus infection and the resulting hepatic injury is determined by the degree of virus replication and the intensity of host immune response. Upon exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV), individuals with a vigorous and broad immune response develop acute self-limited infection, which may result ...

With ongoing advancements in noninvasive vascular imaging and high-throughput genomics, we have the opportunity to reclassify the cerebrocervical disorders by these shared associations, rather than their downstream events, and to better understand etiology, mechanism and preventive treatments going forward. The common nonatherosclerotic, large-vessel arteriopathies affecting the cerebrovasculature include intracranial aneurysms, ...

ABSTRACT: The use of Focused Ion Beam (FIB) instrument's to analyze and prepare samples that are radioactive requires attentiveness to the materials that are dislodged and free inside the chamber. Radioactive sputtered material must be understood even when observed at trace concentrations. Measurements using liquid scintillation counting and high purity ...

: Elevated prorenin levels associate with microvascular complications in patients with diabetes mellitus, possibly because prorenin affects vascular function in diabetes mellitus, for example by generating angiotensins following its binding to the (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR]. Here we evaluated whether the renin inhibitor aliskiren, with or without the putative (P)RR antagonist ...

: Recent research and guidelines recommend the routine use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for the diagnosis of hypertension, so accuracy of such monitors is more important than ever. : To systematically review the literature regarding the accuracy of ambulatory monitors currently in use. : Medline, Embase, Cinahl, the Cochrane ...

The advent of triple therapy (TT) with first-generation protease inhibitors boceprevir (BOC) and telaprevir (TVR) in addition to pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) has resulted in a significant improvement in the sustained virological response (SVR) rate and potentially in life years gained compared to dual therapy (DT), when treating naïve ...

Interferon alpha has restricted efficacy in as much as only a proportion of patients show a response. However, in appropriately selected HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients, sustained suppression of viral replication can be achieved, and HBeAg or even HBsAg seroconversion can be attained. Thus, finite course of interferon alpha can be ...

To characterise the main difficulties, coping strategies, sources of satisfaction and levels of burden disclosed by informal caregivers of older people who are dependent due to physical and mental causes, in the Portuguese context and to compare the impact between caregivers for older people with physical dependence and caregivers for ...

ABSTRACT: Sandia National Laboratories' Z-Machine is the world's most powerful electrical device, and experiments have been conducted that make it the world's most powerful radiation source. Because Z-Machine is used for research, an assortment of materials can be placed into the machine; these materials can be subjected to a range ...

To explore the perceptions of older patients who re-presented to hospital within 28 days of discharge from an acute medical unit (AMU), their family caregivers and appropriately experienced health professionals. Hospitals are increasingly using AMUs to provide rapid assessment and treatment for medical patients. Evidence of efficacy is building, however in-depth ...

ABSTRACT: To ensure that the possibility of harm to human research subjects is minimized, clinical trials and other research protocols are subject to oversight by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). IRBs require that subjects be fully informed about the real or potential risks of participation in a research study. The use ...

ABSTRACT: I-metaiodobenzylguanidine is a norepinephrine analog that concentrates in adrenergic tissue and has been shown to be an effective radiotherapeutic agent used to treat tumors of neural crest origin, particularly neuroblastoma, a sympathetic nervous system malignancy of children. The purpose of this study was to determine the radiation dose received ...

Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genes play an important role in the success of organ transplantation and are associated with autoimmune and infectious diseases. Current DNA-based genotyping methods, including Sanger sequence-based typing (SSBT), have identified a high degree of polymorphism. This level of polymorphism makes high-resolution HLA genotyping challenging, resulting in ...

Telaprevir is a recently approved direct-acting antiviral against hepatitis C virus (HCV) that works through inhibition of the NS3/4A serine protease inhibitor.Phase 2b and 3 studies have shown marked increase in sustained virological response rates in both treatment- naïve and treatment-experienced patients with HCV genotype 1 treated with a telaprevir-containing ...

The present review focuses on the evolution of proteins and the impact of amino acid mutations on function from a structural perspective. Proteins evolve under the law of natural selection and undergo alternating periods of conservative evolution and of relatively rapid change. The likelihood of mutations being fixed in the ...

Anatomic site is a predictive factor in subtypes of cutaneous and mucosal melanoma. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical relevance of location of origin of anorectal melanoma as a prognostic factor. With the use of a prospectively maintained database, clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes were compared ...

Until very recently, hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated cirrhosis was often regarded as an irreversible condition. It is associated with strongly increased mortality and a high risk of the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Indeed, the incidence of HCC per 100 person years was shown to be 2-3.7 in patients with ...

To explore care satisfaction in relation to place of living, health-related quality of life, functional dependency and health complaints among people 65 years or older, receiving public care and service. The concept public care and service concerns formal care from the municipality, including home help, home nursing care, rehabilitation and a ...

: Stapled transanal rectal resection with a new, curved, multifire stapler (Transtar procedure) has shown promising short- and midterm results for treating obstructed defecation syndrome. However, few results have been published on long-term outcome. : This study aimed to investigate long-term functional results and quality of life after the Transtar ...

The current treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 chronic infection is the addition of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) with a protease inhibitor (telaprevir or boceprevir) to the pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) regimen. Major progress has been made in the past few years: numerous ongoing trials with different ...

Cardiac channelopathies are potentially lethal inherited arrhythmia syndromes and an important cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes. Other cardiac rhythm and conduction disturbances also may indicate the presence of an underlying cardiac disorder. The 12-lead ECG is utilised as both a screening and a diagnostic tool for ...

: Accidental puncture or laceration during a surgical procedure is a patient safety indicator that is publicly reported and will factor into the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid's pay-for-performance plan. Accidental puncture or laceration includes serosal tear, enterotomy, and injury to the ureter, bladder, spleen, or blood vessels. : This ...

Telaprevir and boceprevir are the first direct-acting antiviral agents approved for use in HCV treatment and represent a significant advance in HCV therapy. However, these first-generation drugs also have significant limitations related to thrice-daily dosing, clinically challenging side-effect profiles, low barriers to resistance and a lack of pan-genotype activity. A ...

: Recently, it was reported that postmenopausal women with lower bone mineral density have an increased risk of colorectal cancer. An association between lower bone mineral density and colorectal cancer suggests that colorectal adenoma, which is a precursor of colorectal cancer, may also be associated with lower bone mineral density. ...

Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C has dramatically changed with the advent of triple therapy incorporating direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) such as the protease inhibitors (PI) boceprevir and telaprevir. Such triple-therapy is associated with a new spectrum of side-effects which can hamper quality of life. These may lead to dosage reduction ...

Cancer cells often have a high demand for antiapoptotic proteins in order to resist programmed cell death. CDK9 inhibition selectively targets survival proteins and reinstates apoptosis in cancer cells. We designed a series of 4-thiazol-2-anilinopyrimidine derivatives with functional groups attached to the C5-position of the pyrimidine or to the C4-thiazol ...

Aureusimines have been identified as potential virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus. These pyrazinone secondary metabolites are produced by a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) annotated as AusA. We report the overproduction of AusA as a 277 kDa soluble protein with A(1)-T(1)-C-A(2)-T(2)-R bimodular architecture. The substrate specificity of each adenylation (A) domain ...

Currently, flow cytometry and immunomagnetic bead purification are the most commonly used cell sorting methods. We performed this study because there are few reports that directly compare the sorting efficiency and influence on cell functions of these two methods. The in vitro cultured third-generation bone marrow mesenchymal cells from newborn ...

VP1, the major coat protein of polyomavirus, assembles intracellularly to virus-like particles if expressed in eukaryotes. Here, the nonconventional yeast Kluyveromyces lactis was used for production of virus-like particles of murine polyomavirus. The heterologous gene of VP1 was integrated in the LAC4 locus of the GAL/LAC genes. Consequently the expression ...

A soluble and thermostable peroxidase enzyme (POD) was extracted from the leaf of Citrus medica. The enzyme was purified 15.10-fold with a total yield of 28.6% by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration chromatography. The purified enzyme came as a single band on native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ...

[BPy]H(2)PO(4) was easily prepared and used as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles under solvent-free conditions in good to excellent yields. Solvent-free conditions, simple experimental and workup procedures, and the use of a nontoxic, recyclable catalyst of an environmentally benign nature are remarkable features ...

Hydrolytic enzymes released by the microorganisms in activated sludge are responsible for the organic matter degradation there; however, the optimal extraction procedure of this valuable resource has not been well established until now. In this study protease and lipase were extracted from activated sludge using ultrasound disintegration combined with a ...

This study developed a simple, efficient method for producing racemic β-phenylalanine acid (BPA) and its derivatives via the enantioselective acylation catalyzed by the penicillin G acylase from Alcaligenes faecalis (Af-PGA). When the reaction was run at 25°C and pH 10 in an aqueous medium containing phenylacetamide and BPA in a ...

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of low-intensity static magnetic fields (SMFs) on invertase activity and growth on different newly identified molds. The most positive effect of SMFs on invertase activity and growth was observed for Aspergillus niger OZ-3. The submerged production of invertase was performed ...

One of the most important classes of pollutants is dyes, and today there are more than 100,000 commercial dyes. Conventional treatment processes are very expensive, so it is essential to develop low-cost sorbent materials with high adsorption capacities. The aim of this study is to prepare magnetic microsized adsorbents that ...

Background: Excessive alcohol use accounted for an estimated average of 23,000 deaths and 633,000 years of potential life lost (YPLL) among women and girls in the United States each year during 2001-2005. Binge drinking accounted for more than half of those deaths and YPLL. Binge drinking also is a risk ...

On August 13, 2012, a nephrologist reported to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) three cases of unexplained thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a rare but serious blood disorder characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. The annual incidence is approximately 1 per 100,000 population. Known risk factors for TTP include ...

Artesunate has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first-line treatment for severe malaria since 2010. It is not licensed in the United States but is available from CDC under an investigational new drug (IND) protocol. During 2010-2012, a total of 19 cases of delayed hemolytic anemia ...

Genetic modification of human T cells to express transgene-encoded polypeptides, such as tumor targeting chimeric antigen receptors, is an emerging therapeutic modality showing promise in clinical trials. The development of simple and efficient techniques for purifying transgene(+) T cells is needed to facilitate the derivation of cell products with uniform ...

This retrospective analysis aimed to assess hematopoietic and immune recovery in a cohort of 53 patients (males: n=33; median age: 59 years (range: 22-70)) who received a FB2 (fludarabine 120-150 mg/m² + IV busulfan 6.4 mg/Kg + ATG thymoglobuline 5mg/Kg) reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allo-SCT. With a median follow-up of 19 ...

Two types of municipal solid waste (MSW), newly arrived and 2 weeks old, were sampled from a sanitary landfill in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia at a fortnightly interval and kept under field conditions for 2 weeks. A total of 480 kg of each type of MSW was sampled to study species ...

Encapsulation of spin-labels into "host" compounds, like cucurbit[n]urils or cyclodextrins, in solutions has profound effects on the EPR spin Hamiltonian parameters of the spin-labels. In this work we study the microscopic origin of the EPR spin Hamiltonian parameters of spin-labels enclosed in hydrophobic cavities. We focus on the dependence of ...

ABSTRACT: Mountain ecosystems all over the world support a high biological diversity and provide home and services to some 12% of the global human population, who use their traditional ecological knowledge to utilise local natural resources. The Himalayas are the world's youngest, highest and largest mountain range and support a ...

Frequency-dependent NMR relaxation studies have been carried out on water (polar) and cyclohexane (nonpolar) molecules confined inside porous ceramics containing variable amounts of iron oxide (III). The porous ceramics were prepared by compression of powders mixed with iron oxide followed by thermal treatment. The pore size distribution was estimated using ...

The melting temperature of duplex DNA is much higher in polyanions than in non-ionic polymers with similar ionic strength, suggesting an additional electrostatic contribution on top of the excluded volume effect.

We have limited insight into how injuries occur in professional ski racing. The aim of this study was to describe the injury situations in World Cup alpine skiing. Injuries reported through the International Ski Federation Injury Surveillance System for three consecutive World Cup seasons (2006-2009) were obtained on video. In ...

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may be a potential risk factor for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to explore the association of GERD risk with exacerbations of COPD. Patients with COPD were consecutively recruited, and COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Reflux Diagnostic ...