This paper details the fabrication of ultrathin silicon nanowires (SiNWs) on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate as an electrode for the electro-oxidation and sensing of ethanol. The nanowire surfaces were prepared by a block copolymer (BCP) nanolithographic technique using low molecular weight symmetric poly(styrene)-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) to create a nanopattern which ...

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview and perspective of the available options for clinical outcomes evaluation of articular cartilage repair in the knee. A nonsystematic literature review of reported clinical measures for functional, qualitative, and quantitative structural outcomes evaluation after knee articular cartilage repair was performed. ...

This is a report of the main points I made in an informal "conversation" with Paul Fletcher and the audience at the 14th ICPLA conference in Cork. The observations arose randomly, as part of an unstructured 1-h Q&A, so they do not provide a systematic account of the subject, but ...

We have performed the first ab initio study that considers all possible oligomerization reactions available to silicic acid in basic solution (ignoring high-energy multiply charged species), up to and including tetramers. Energies have been computed at the MP2/6-31+G(d)//HF/6-31+G(d) level of theory, with a hybrid solvation model which includes explicit waters ...

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of glaucoma severity and laterality on vision-specific functioning (VF) in an Asian population. Methods: The Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES) was a population-based cross-sectional study of 3280 Malays aged 40 to 80 years. VF was assessed using the VF-11 questionnaire. Associations between VF-11 score and ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Because of its association with atrial fibrillation and heart failure, we hypothesized that amino terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) would identify a subgroup of patients from the Warfarin-Aspirin Recurrent Stroke Study, diagnosed with inferred noncardioembolic ischemic strokes, where anticoagulation would be more effective than antiplatelet agents in ...

The neural cell adhesion molecule, NCAM, is the major substrate for the polysialyltransferases (polySTs), ST8SiaII/STX and ST8SiaIV/PST. The polysialylation of NCAM N-glycans decreases cell adhesion and alters signaling. Previous work demonstrated that the first fibronectin type III repeat (FN1) of NCAM is required for polyST recognition and the polysialylation of ...

TRIP6 is an adaptor protein that regulates cell motility and antiapoptotic signaling. Although it has been implicated in tumorigenesis, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here we provide evidence that TRIP6 promotes tumorigenesis by serving as a bridge to promote the recruitment of p27(KIP1) to AKT in the cytosol. TRIP6 ...

Three new copper-azido complexes [Cu(4)(N(3))(8)(L(1))(2)](n) (), [Cu(4)(N(3))(6)(L(2))(2)(H(2)O)(2)] (), and [Cu(4)(N(3))(6)(L(3))(2)](n) () [L(1) is the imine resulting from the condensation of pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde with N-methylethylenediamine, HL(2) and HL(3) are the condensation products of 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde with N,N-diethylethylenediamine and N-ethylethylenediamine respectively] have been synthesized by using 0.5 molar equivalents of the Schiff base ligands ...

All early (Pliocene-Early Pleistocene) hominins exhibit some differences in proximal femoral morphology from modern humans, including a long femoral neck and a low neck-shaft angle. In addition, australopiths (Au. afarensis, Au. africanus, Au. boisei, Paranthropus boisei), but not early Homo, have an "anteroposteriorly compressed" femoral neck and a small femoral ...

Natural killer T (NKT) lymphocytes are implicated in the early response to microbial infection. Further, sulfatide, a myelin self-glycosphingolipid, activates a type II NKT cell subset, and can modulate disease in murine models. We examined the role of NKT cells and the effect of sulfatide treatment in a murine model ...

Sulfonamides are a widely used class of antibiotics; however, there are few toxicological data available with which to conduct environmental risk assessments for these compounds. Therefore, the toxicity of four sulfonamides (sulfaguanidine, sulfathiazole, sulfamerazine, and sulfasalazine) to Hyalella azteca was assessed in chronic (four-week), water-only exposures. Survival was evaluated weekly, ...

Background Triiodothyronine (T3) has many effects on the heart and marked changes in cardiac function and structure occur in patients with (subclinical) thyroid disease. We investigated whether between-subject variation in thyroid hormone levels within the euthyroid range is also associated with heart rate and echocardiographic heart function and structure. Methods ...

BACKGROUND:Patellofemoral instability is common in the pediatric and adolescent population, yet prognosis after the first dislocation has been difficult to determine. PURPOSE:To describe the demographics of pediatric and adolescent patients with a first-time patellofemoral dislocation and to determine predictors of recurrent instability. STUDY DESIGN:Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS:A ...

ABSTRACT: : Thanks to advances in next-generation technologies, genome sequences are now being generated at breadth (e.g. across environments) and depth (thousands of closely related strains, individuals or samples) unimaginable only a few years ago. Phylogenomics -- the study of evolutionary relationships based on comparative analysis of genome-scale data -- ...

An interparticle binding agent, or nanoglue, was synthesized by a sol-gel process, which facilitated the preparation of well-interconnected TiO(2) electrodes at low-temperatures for plastic dye-sensitized solar cells. The viscosity of the nanoglue-based pastes was seven times higher than that obtained in pastes without any nanoglue. The increased viscosity was sufficiently ...

With the aim of systematically studying fundamental structure-activity relationships as a basis for the development of Ru(II) arene complexes (arene=p-cymene or biphenyl) bearing mono-, bi-, or tridentate am(m)ine ligands as anticancer agents, a series of ammine, ethylenediamine, and diethylenetriamine complexes were prepared by different synthetic routes. Especially the synthesis of ...

Hollow 0.3Li(2)MnO(3)·0.7LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(2) microspheres are synthesized on a large scale through a simple in situ template-sacrificial route. Starting from porous MnO(2) microspheres, the hollow microspheres assembled with 0.3Li(2)MnO(3)·0.7LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(2) nanocrystals are formed by a nanoscale Kirkendall effect. The nanocrystal-assembled hollow 0.3Li(2)MnO(3)·0.7LiNi(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(2) microspheres exhibit a highly reversible capacity as high as 295 mAh ...

Identification of cell-type specific enhancers is important for understanding the regulation of programs controlling cellular development and differentiation. Enhancers are typically marked by the co-transcriptional activator protein p300 or by groups of cell-expressed transcription factors. We hypothesized that a unique set of enhancers regulates gene expression in human erythroid cells, ...

As a powerful tool for biological analysis, especially protein structure and dynamic studies, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy suffers from intrinsic low signal to nose ratio (SNR) and long acquisition time required for multidimensional (nD) experiments. Non-uniform sampling (NUS) can effectively speed up the experiment, but often introduces artifacts into ...

F(o) F(1) -Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase, a complex of two rotary motor proteins, reversibly converts the electrochemical potential of protons across the cell membrane into phosphate transfer potential of ATP to provide the energy currency of the cell. The water-soluble motor is F(1) -ATPase, which possesses ATP synthesis/hydrolysis catalytic sites. ...

A method for stimulating the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into kidney lineages remains to be developed. Most cells in kidney are derived from an embryonic germ layer known as intermediate mesoderm. Here we show the establishment of an efficient system of homologous recombination in human pluripotent stem cells ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: To improve quality of life (QOL) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), it is important to decrease disability and prevent relapse. The aim of this study was to examine the causal and mutual relationships contributing to QOL in Japanese patients with MS, develop path diagrams, and explore interventions ...

In the present study, we fabricated an ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin (TB) based on a triplex signal amplification strategy. The hemin/G-quadruplex horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme (HRP-DNAzyme) as well as blocking reagent-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and iron telluride nanorods (FeTe NRs) could simultaneously amplify the electrochemical signal of thionine (Thi) in ...

The Pancreas Transcription Factor 1 (PTF1) complex is a master regulator of differentiation of acinar cells, responsible for the production of digestive enzymes. In the adult pancreas, PTF1 contains two pancreas-restricted transcription factors: Ptf1a and Rbpjl. PTF1 recruits P/CAF which acetylates Ptf1a and enhances its transcriptional activity. Using a yeast ...

PURPOSE: Accumulating evidence supports the existence of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), which are characterized by their capacity to self-renew and divide indefinitely, and resistance to conventional therapies. The Notch pathway is important for stem cell renewal, and is a potential target for BCSC-directed therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Using human breast ...

Ternary interpolyelectrolyte complexes of insulin with biodegradable synthetic cationic polymer, poly(methylaminophosphazene) hydrochloride (PMAP), and dextran sulfate (DS) were investigated by means of turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering, phase analysis and high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry. Formation of ternary insoluble stoichiometric Insulin-PMAP-DS complexes was detected under conditions imitating the human gastric environment (pH ...

Abstract The polyphenol, 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (PGG) has been found to exhibit a host of positive pharmacologic activities, including anti-cancer and anti-diabetic. Little is known about the mode of action of PGG in yielding these positive activities. We show here that PGG is a potent inhibitor of IAPP (islet amyloid polypeptide, amylin) ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Aggregation of the alpha-Synuclein (alpha-Syn) protein, amyloid fibril formation and progressive neurodegeneration are the neuropathological hallmarks of Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, a detailed mechanism of alpha-Syn aggregation/fibrillogenesis and the exact nature of toxic oligomeric species produced during amyloid formation process are still unknown. RESULTS: In this study, the ...

A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial was done to compare the results of carpal tunnel release using classic incision, short incision, or endoscopic technique. In total, 90 consecutive cases were included. Follow-up was 24 weeks. We found a significantly shorter sick leave in the endoscopic group. No significant differences in pain, ...

SUMMARY: We describe a modular MATLAB® Toolbox named TACTICS for time lapse image analysis that meets several requirements not generally offered by currently available software packages: (i) the ability to assess quality of extracted imaging information by directly linking data endpoints to the original position, (ii) massively parallel analysis of ...

Hyperphosphorylated tau aggregated into neurofibrillary tangles is a hallmark lesion of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is linked to synaptic and cognitive impairments. In animal models, cold water stress (CWS) can cause cognitive disorder and tau hyperphosphorylation. Capsaicin (CAP), a specific TRPV1 agonist, is neuroprotective against stress-induced impairment, but the detailed ...

Five new complexes [Zn(HL(1))(OAc)(CH(3)CH(2)OH)] (), [Cd(2)(HL(1))(2)(OAc)(2)(CH(3)CH(2)OH)(2)] (), [Cu(6)(L(1))(6)] () (H(2)L(1) = N-(1-phenyl-3-phenmethyl-4-phenylethylene-pyrazolone-5)-salicylidene hydrazide, OAc = acetate anion), {[Zn(L(2))(CH(3)OH)]·(CH(3)OH)}(n) () (H(2)L(2) = N-(1-phenyl-3-phenmethyl-4-ethylene-pyrazolone-5)-salicylidene hydrazine), [Cu(L(3))](n) () (H(2)L(3) = N-(1-phenyl-3-phenmethyl-4-benzylidene-pyrazolone-5)-salicylidene hydrazide) have been synthesized and characterized by chemical and spectroscopic techniques. Complexes feature mononuclear, dinuclear and rare hexanuclear structures, respectively. The different ...

The on-substrate fabrication of a bio-conjugated Au nanoring (NRI) solution with the localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance wavelength in the 1200-1300 nm range is demonstrated. Also, the effects of photothermal therapy through LSP resonance-induced absorption enhancement are illustrated by applying the bio-conjugated Au NRIs to human liver cancer cells and illuminating ...

Introduction. Sit-to-stand (SitTS) and stand-to-sit (StandTS) are very important functional tasks that become compromised in stroke patients. As in other voluntary movements, they require an adequate postural control (PC) involving the generation of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs). In order to give clues for more efficient and directed rehabilitation programs, a ...

Genome-wide association studies reported SLC22A2 variants to be associated with serum creatinine. As SLC22A2 encodes the organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2), the association might be due to an effect on tubular creatinine handling. To test this hypothesis we studied the association of SLC22A2 polymorphisms with phenotypes of net tubular creatinine ...

The circadian clock is constituted by a complex molecular network that integrates a number of regulatory cues needed to maintain organismal homeostasis. To this effect, posttranslational modifications of clock proteins modulate circadian rhythms and are thought to convert physiological signals into changes in protein regulatory function. To explore reversible lysine ...

AIMS: The loss of Nrf2 has been shown to protect against atherogenesis in apoE-deficient mice. The mechanism by which Nrf2 deficiency affords atheroprotection in this model is currently unknown, but combined systemic and local vascular effects on lesion macrophages have been proposed. We investigated the effect of bone marrow specific ...

Oligomers of the 40 and 42 residue amyloid-β peptides (Aβ40 and Aβ42) have been implicated in the neuronal damage and impaired cognitive function associated with Alzheimer's disease. However, little is known about the specific mechanisms by which these misfolded species induce such detrimental effects on cells. In this work, we ...

RA is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by accumulation of inflammatory cells within synovial joints. RA is associated with a failure of apoptosis of infiltrating leukocytes, thought to be a result of overexpression of prosurvival Bcl-2 proteins. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in hematopoietic cells can result in spontaneous autoimmunity. We therefore ...

AIMS: The pathogenesis of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to analyse tissue characterizations of neointima in restenosis lesions after sirolimus-eluting stent (SES), comparing with those after bare metal stent (BMS) using integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound (IB-IVUS). METHODS AND RESULTS: ...

There are no established biomarkers for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), in part because post-concussive symptoms (PCS) are subjective and conventional imaging is typically unremarkable. To test whether diffuse axonal abnormalities quantified with three-dimensional (3D) proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (1H-MRSI) correlated with patients' PCS, we retrospectively studied 26 mTBI ...

Activation of G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) by agonists increases insulin release in isolated islets, whereas it is inconclusive as to whether GPR40 antagonists decrease blood glucose and increases insulin sensitivity. Although some clinical trials indicated that administration of a GPR40 agonist shows benefits in the regulation of blood glucose ...

Histones participate in transcriptional regulation via a variety of dynamic posttranslational modifications (PTMs) on them. Mass spectrometry (MS) has become a powerful tool to investigate histone PTMs. With the Bottom-up mass spectrometry approach, chemical derivatization of histones with propionic anhydride or deuterated acetic anhydride followed by trypsin digestion was widely ...

Isolated spinal leptomeningeal metastases (LMM) without brain metastases are infrequent, accounting for about 1% of all solid tumors. In LMM, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses are mostly abnormal. Demonstrations of intrathecal tumor markers are highly suggestive, but only a positive cytology is diagnostic. The initial CSF cytology can give a false ...

Identifying dual role electrode materials capable of storing both lithium and sodium are thought to be highly relevant, as these materials could find potential applications simultaneously in lithium and sodium ion batteries. In this regard, the concept of dual alkali storage is demonstrated in Fe(3)O(4) anode material undergoing conversion reaction. ...

BACKGROUND: In health technology assessments (HTAs) of interventions that affect survival, it is essential to accurately estimate the survival benefit associated with the new treatment. Generally, trial data must be extrapolated, and many models are available for this purpose. The choice of extrapolation model is critical because different models can ...

The synthesis and physical properties of dioxole functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are reported. Combination of benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-4,7-dicarboxylic acid (dioxole-BDC) and Zn(ii) under solvothermal conditions yields either an isoreticular metal-organic framework analog (IRMOF-1-dioxole) or a new MOF material (MOF-1-dioxole). With the addition of a co-ligand, namely 4,4'-bipyridine, a mixed-linker Zn(ii)-paddlewheel MOF (BMOF-2-dioxole) ...

Aim: The aim of the project Pharmacases.de was to develop an innovative concept for creating high-quality e-learning content which integrates and promotes the theoretical and cooperative skills of final-year medical students and is easily adoptable by cooperating institutes and hospitals. Methods and results: A peer-teaching concept was developed in which ...

Objective: To evaluate the financial and clinical outcomes of an over-the-counter (OTC) medication consultation performed by doctorate of pharmacy student pharmacists in a community pharmacy.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Setting: Independent and chain community pharmacy locations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Participants: Fourth professional year (PY4) advanced experiential student pharmacists on community rotations at the designated ...