Background -  Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is a member of the gp130/interleukin-6 cytokine family that is produced by cell types such as T helper 2 lymphocytes and cutaneous lymphocyte antigen positive skin homing T cells. When overexpressed in transgenic mice, IL-31 induces severe pruritus, alopecia and skin lesions. In humans, IL-31 serum levels correlate with the ...

Medical practice in the media is usually far from reality. Thus, the viewer may be led astray. The world-famous fictional Dr House has to face a difficult diagnosis every week. His practice does not seem to reflect reality. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnosis strategy involved ...

The cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) are a multigene family of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a sulfonate group from the physiologic sulfate donor, 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate, to a nucleophilic substrate to generate a polar product that is more amenable to elimination from the body. As catalysts of both xenobiotic and endogenous metabolism, ...

Background -  Seborrhoea is a clinical condition resulting in excessive lipid and/or scale on the skin and is a common and important skin disease of dogs. However, there is little information on the skin surface lipid composition of dogs with seborrhoea. Hypothesis/Objectives -  To compare skin surface lipid profiles in normal and ...

The effect of a series of xerogel coatings modified with aminoalkyl/fluorocarbon/hydrocarbon groups on the adhesion of a new test species, the filamentous brown alga Ectocarpus crouaniorum, has been explored, and compared with the green alga Ulva linza. The results showed that E. crouaniorum adhered weakly to the less polar, low ...

ABSTRACT: Labeled leukocyte scintigraphy and F-FDG PET are well-documented techniques for the assessment of inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, a 28-year-old man with abdominal pain, vomiting, and raised serum amylase and lipase levels underwent PET/CT imaging using FDG-labeled autologous leukocytes to assess for pancreatic infection. While the pancreas showed ...

The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. Initially recognized as a xenobiotic receptor, CAR has been increasingly appreciated for its endobiotic functions in influencing glucose and lipid metabolism, whose dysregulations are implicated in the most prevalent metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type ...

Transcript levels of vitellogenins (Vgs) in the varroa mite, Varroa destructor (Anderson & Trueman), were variably induced by interactions between the developing honeybee, Apis mellifera L, as a food source and the capped honeybee cell environment. Transcripts for two Vgs of varroa mites were sequenced and putative Vg protein products ...

The morally responsible practice of clinical medicine depends on many factors, the integrity of clinical judgment chief among them. Responsible clinical judgment requires that it be deliberative. The disciplines of the humanities, all of which contribute to clinical ethics-as the papers that follow illustrate-teach that deliberative reasoning includes critical self-awareness ...

Background -  Canine pyodermas associated with meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. (MRS) have increased in prevalence over the past decade. Hypothesis/Objectives -  To compare the prevalence of MRS isolation from dogs with superficial pyoderma at a primary care clinic (PCC) and those at a tertiary care facility (VMTH) in California, USA, and ...

Certain strains of Lactobacillus appear to have a reproducible effect on weight as a weight-gain effect in lean humans and animals or a weight-loss effect in overweight/obese humans and animals. These results are completely sufficient to capture the attention of the scientific community to assess the effect on the weight ...

The role of renin-angiotensin inhibition in older patients with diastolic heart failure and chronic kidney disease remains unclear. Of the 1340 patients (age ≥65 years) with diastolic heart failure (ejection fraction ≥45%) and chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)), 717 received angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin ...

ABSTRACT: Ocular metastases secondary to thyroid cancer are extremely uncommon, typically affecting the orbit rather than the globe and uvea. Within the uveal structures, the choroid is more commonly involved than the iris and ciliary body. We present a 56-year-old male patient who underwent total thyroidectomy for metastatic papillary thyroid ...

GSK2190915, a potent 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein inhibitor, prevents the synthesis of leukotrienes and 5-oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-oxo-ETE). To assess the effect of GSK2190915 on the allergen-induced asthmatic responses. Nineteen eligible male subjects with mild asthma were enrolled in and completed this four-centre, double-blind, two-way crossover study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00748306). Subjects took GSK2190915 100 mg ...

Health eTools for Schools was developed to assist school nurses with routine entries, including height and weight, on student health records, thus providing a readily accessible data base. Data-mining techniques were applied to this database to determine if clinically significant results could be generated. Body mass index (BMI) data collected ...

We have previously reported patch test reactivity to nickel sulphate in a cohort of unselected infants tested repeatedly at 3-18 months of age. A reproducible positive reaction at 12 and 18 months was selected as a sign of nickel sensitivity provided a patch test with an empty Finn chamber was negative. A ...

ABSTRACT: Autoantibodies and complement opsonization have been implicated in the process of demyelination in the major human CNS demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS), but scavenger receptors (SRs) may also play pathogenetic roles. We characterized SR mRNA and protein expression in postmortem brain tissue from 13 MS patients in relation to ...

Pulmonary embolism places a heavy economic burden on health care systems, but the components of hospital cost have not been elucidated. We evaluated hospitalized patients with the primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Our goal was to determine the total and component costs associated with their hospital care. We included patients ...

Activation of receptors of the innate immune system is a critical step in the initiation of immune responses. It has been shown that dominant allergens have properties that could allow them to interact with toll-like and C-type lectin receptors to favour Th2-biased responses and many bind lipids and glycans that ...

Canadian Aboriginal youth have poorer diet quality and higher rates of overweight and obesity than the general population. This research aimed to assess the impact of simple food provision programs on the intakes of milk and alternatives among youth in Kashechewan and Attawapiskat First Nations (FNs), Ontario, Canada. A pilot ...

Background -  The stratum corneum (SC) is the outermost region of the epidermis and plays key roles in cutaneous barrier function in mammals. The SC is composed of 'bricks', represented by flattened, protein-enriched corneocytes, and 'mortar', represented by intercellular lipid-enriched layers. As a result of this 'bricks and mortar' structure, ...

BACKGROUND:: In the German federal state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, routine rotavirus (RV) vaccination in infants has been recommended since 2009. The effectiveness of RV vaccination was investigated after an unexpectedly high number of RV infections in fully vaccinated children occurred. METHODS:: Intensified RV surveillance was performed in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania between 2010 ...

The hallmarks of Perrault syndrome are progressive sensorineural hearing loss and ovarian dysgenesis, but the disorder is both clinically and genetically heterogenous. We report a 15-year-old girl with gonadal dysgenesis, unilateral sensorineural deafness, cataracts in both eyes, and Marfanoid body proportions diagnosed Perrault syndrome. We detected 14 single nucleotide variations ...

The use of vibration is proposed as a means of controlling the settlement of marine fouling organisms. In this study, panels with embedded lead zirconate titanate, known as PZT, were placed in the field over 3 months. The panels were vibrated at different velocity levels at frequencies between 70 and 445 Hz. ...

The field of behavioral economics combines psychology and economics to investigate how individuals actually behave as opposed to how they would behave if they were being perfectly rational (as in the sense of maximizing their utility). Although initial applications focused on consumer behavior, such as explaining why people failed to ...

ABSTRACT: The dilated cystic duct sign (DCDS) on hepatobiliary scintigraphy can lead to a false-negative test in patients with acute cholecystitis. Presented is a case of acute gangrenous cholecystitis with probable DCDS on the planar study that was unequivocally delineated on SPECT/CT imaging. SPECT/CT may be useful when planar findings ...

Widespread usage of herbs as supplements or medicines raises the potential of herb-drug interactions (HDIs). Basically, HDIs occur by pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic pathways. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a class of transcription factors whose role in drug interactions has been defined. A large number of herbs activate NRs, resulting in HDIs. ...

Background -  Ciclosporin (CSA) is approved for the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis. Ciclosporin is metabolized by liver cytochrome P450 enzymes, a process inhibited by ketoconazole (KTZ). Hypothesis/Objectives -  The aims of this study were to determine skin and blood CSA concentrations when CSA was administered alone at 5.0 (Treatment 1) or 2.5 mg/kg ...

Indroduction: Treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is crucial for prevalent disease's management, including gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer, whereas novel extradigestive causal associations are increasingly being recognized. Despite long-standing efforts, there is not as yet an optimal empirical therapy to eradicate H. pylori. Areas covered: In the ...

Background -  Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small immunomodulatory peptides produced by epithelial and immune cells. β-Defensins (BDs) and cathelicidins (Caths) are the most studied AMPs. Recently, increased cutaneous expression of AMPs was reported in atopic humans and in beagles with experimentally induced atopy. Hypothesis/Objectives -  Our goal was to analyse mRNA expression ...

Total body irradiation (TBI) is a specialized radiotherapy technique. It is frequently used as a component of treatment plans involving hematopoietic stem cell transplant for a variety of disorders, most commonly hematologic malignancies. A variety of treatment delivery techniques, doses, and fractionation schemes can be utilized. A collaborative effort of ...

Classification of respiratory symptoms may help to identify different underlying asthma phenotypes reflecting differences in aetiology and prognosis of wheezing disease among children. To determine childhood asthma phenotypes based on respiratory symptoms from a widely used questionnaire to further classify phenotypes in international settings. Between 2000 and 2002 cross-sectional studies ...

School smoking bans give officials the authority to provide a smoke-free environment, but enacting policies within the school walls is just one step in comprehensive tobacco prevention among students. It is necessary to investigate factors beyond the school campus and into the neighborhoods that surround schools. The purpose of this ...

On July 1, 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) eliminated 30-hour call in an attempt to improve resident wakefulness. We surveyed interns on the Newton Wellesley Hospital (NWH) surgery service before and after the transition from Q4 overnight call to a night float schedule. For 15 weeks, ...

Spondylolysis is a defect of the pars interarticularis and is most commonly encountered in the lower lumbar spine of pediatric patients. Stress reaction of the pars interarticularis was regarded as an early stage of this pathological diagnosis in which no obvious anatomical change is detected. Both SPECT with Tc MDP ...

ABSTRACT: FDG PET/CT imaging has been used in various medical fields, including neoplastic and infectious diseases, for a long time. We reported a 62-year-old man with fever, chronic cough, arthralgia of the left side of the hip, and body weight loss. Chest radiograph showed increased infiltration in both upper lungs, ...

We investigated the association between genetic variation in chromosomal region 20p13-p12 (ADAM33 and flanking genes ATRN, GFRA4, SIGLEC1 and HSPA12B) and asthma. Amongst asthmatics, we then investigated the association between genetic variants and asthma severity. We evaluated the effect of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in the context of genetic ...

Allostery plays a key role in dictating the stoichiometry and thermodynamics of multi-protein complexes driving a plethora of cellular processes central to health and disease. Herein, using various biophysical tools, we demonstrate that although Sos1 nucleotide exchange factor and Gab1 docking protein recognize two non-overlapping sites within the Grb2 adaptor, ...

Background -  Equine sarcoidosis may present as a generalized or localized exfoliative dermatitis and/or as a granulomatous inflammation of multiple organs. Objectives -  To report the clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and outcome for 22 horses with histologically confirmed sarcoidosis. Animals -  Twenty-two horses of different breeds, between 3 and 17 years ...

ABSTRACT. Cerenkov luminescence imaging is an emerging optical preclinical modality based on the detection of Cerenkov radiation induced by beta particles when traveling though biological tissues with a velocity greater than the speed of light. We present the first human Cerenkography obtained by detecting Cerenkov radiation escaping the thyroid gland ...

The Sabin vaccine is used world-wide, and most children with food allergies receive it without incident. However, in the 2009 vaccination campaign conducted in Argentina, four children experienced immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions following vaccination. We aimed to review the medical history of the affected children, study their allergic condition after the ...

Background -  Pythiosis is a life-threatening disease caused by Pythium insidiosum. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative treatment to surgery that uses the interaction of a photosensitizer, light and molecular oxygen to cause cell death. Objectives -  To evaluate the effect of PDT on the in vitro growth of P. insidiosum and in ...

The Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum (FSC) is an interactive system that engages interns in case-based scenarios that involve identifying symptoms, ordering tests, and formulating treatment plans. In this study, we examined the usefulness of the FSC as a knowledge preparatory tool for incoming interns. Twenty incoming interns participated in this ...

The duration of the cholesterol-lowering effect of statins is considerably longer than the duration of the pharmacokinetic half-life of these drugs. The long duration of pharmacologic effects provides the rational for the efficacy of intermittent dosing that provides nearly the equivalent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction compared with daily dosing. Review ...

Accurate identification of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and its differentiation from other brain tumors remain difficult but are essential for treatment. In this study, we investigated whether N-ammonia combined with F-FDG could distinguish PCNSL from solid gliomas effectively. Ten consecutive patients with final diagnosis of PCNSL (5 female ...

ABSTRACT: Marine-Lenhart syndrome has been described as a variant of Graves disease with the following criteria: (1) the thyroid scan shows an enlarged gland and 1 or 2 poorly functioning nodules; (2) the nodule is TSH dependent and the paranodular tissue is TSH independent; (3) after endogenous or exogenous TSH ...

Heparin/heparan sulfate interact with growth factors, chemokines, extracellular proteins, and receptors. Integrins are αβ heterodimers that serve as receptors for extracellular proteins, regulate cell behavior, and participate in extracellular matrix assembly. Heparin binds to RGD-dependent integrins (αIIbβ3, α5β1, αvβ3, and αvβ5) and to RGD-independent integrins (α4β1, αXβ2, and αMβ2), but ...

Background -  Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in dogs is a heterogeneous disease complex, which consists of nonepitheliotropic (NE) and epitheliotropic forms. These lymphomas are readily recognized by the presence of dominant populations of cytologically atypical lymphocytes. Objective -  The objective of this study was to introduce the key features of inflamed NE-CTCL, ...

In 2010, we put forward a hypothetical model of the major biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The model was received with interest because we described the temporal evolution of AD biomarkers in relation to each other and to the onset and progression of clinical symptoms. Since then, evidence has accumulated ...

Little information is available on geographic disparity of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among women aged 18-26 years in the U.S. Genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. Persistent HPV infection with oncogenic types can cause cervical cancer. This study utilized data collected from the 2010 ...