Novel sequencing technologies were recently used to generate sequences from multiple melon (Cucumis melo L.) genotypes, enabling the in silico identification of large single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) collections. In order to optimize the use of these markers, SNP validation and large-scale genotyping are necessary. In this paper, we present the ...

Aptamers against inactive Vibrio alginolyticus were selected from an 82-nt ssDNA random library by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment. After 15 rounds of selection, the final pool of aptamers was highly specific for inactivated V. alginolyticus and had a dissociation constant of 27.5 ± 9.2 nM. Using these aptamers and PCR, ...

Our patient appears to represent a previously unrecognized variant of steroid-responsive minimal change disease (MCD)/focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in which severe AKI developed even though the serum albumin was essentially normal and proteinuria was minimal. This would be a paradox because the AKI of MCD/FSGS is a manifestation of ...

Notwithstanding the considerable advances in the treatment options for schizophrenia, the cognitive symptoms in particular are not receptive to antipsychotic treatment and considered one of the main predictors for poor social and functional outcome of the disease. Recent findings in preclinical model systems indicate that epigenetic modulation might emerge as ...

Abstract Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in different technologies but their unique properties might also cause adverse health effects. In reviewing recent in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity studies we discuss potential mechanisms of genotoxicity induced by NPs. Various factors that may influence genotoxic response, including physico-chemical properties and ...

A full understanding of the mechanism of the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the interface between insulating LaAlO(3) (LAO) thin films and bulk SrTiO(3) (STO) crystals is a prerequisite for the full exploitation of this class of materials. Here, by using a combination of advanced X-ray synchrotron-based ...

The high temperature phase of manganese vanadate h.t.-Mn(3)(VO(4))(2) and the solid solution with NaMn(4)(VO(4))(3) (Na(x)Mn(4.5-x/2)(VO(4))(3)) were shown to order ferrimagnetically below 55 K for x < 1, whereas NaMn(4)(VO(4))(3) is an antiferromagnet. The materials show very soft magnetic properties with low coercitive fields required for demagnetisation (H(c) < 0.001 T). ...

This paper is devoted to the investigation of the effects of periodic drug treatment on a standard within-host virus model. We first introduce the basic reproduction ratio for the model, and then show that the infection free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable, and the disease eventually disappears if [Formula: see ...

Lipase-catalyzed caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) synthesis in ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide ([Emim][Tf(2)N]), was investigated in this study. The effects of several reaction conditions, including reaction time, reaction temperature, substrate molar ratio of phenethyl alcohol to caffeic acid (CA), and weight ratio of enzyme to CA, on CAPE yield were ...

The etiological basis of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is unknown but vascular (arterial and venous) compression of the trigeminal nerve roots has emerged as the likely cause in most cases. Here we examine the evidence for the "brain sagging/arterial elongation hypothesis" with reference to the cerebral arteries and veins believed to ...

Introduction: Inhibitors of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) family of proteins are currently being evaluated as potential anticancer medicines at both preclinical and clinical levels. They have the peculiarity to increase the efficacy of DNA-damaging agents and to selectively target tumor cells with specific DNA repair defects. This later development of ...

Rabies is generally considered a fatal disease, yet neutralizing antibodies to rabies virus (RV) have frequently been found in sera from healthy, insectivorous bats, and mark-recapture studies have demonstrated bats that are still alive years after the first detection of anti-RV antibodies. To explore this phenomenon, we exposed mice to ...

A number of well-known type II inhibitors (ATP non-competitive) that bind kinases in their DFG-out conformation were tested against wild-type LRRK2 and the most common Parkinson's disease-linked mutation G2019S. We found that traditional type II inhibitors exhibit surprising variability in their inhibition mechanism between wild type (WT) and the G2019S ...

The authors report a case of extensive, unilateral hemispheric infarct with internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion in a term infant emphasizing the value of MRI, particularly diffusion weighted imaging (DWI).

We aimed in this study to evaluate dysphagia in early stroke patients using a bedside screening test and flexible fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FFEES) and electrophysiological evaluation (EE) methods and to compare the effectiveness of these methods. Twenty-four patients who were hospitalized in our clinic within the first 3 months ...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has established a Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP) in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH-ODS). The DSQAP invites laboratories twice annually to participate in interlaboratory studies where participants elect to measure concentrations of nutritional ...

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by traumatic experience, which affects a patient's quality of life and social stability. The objective of this study was to determine the apoptosis-related genes B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and BCL2-associated X (Bax) expressions and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neuronal apoptosis after ...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the outcome of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) treated with the combination of either β-lactam-quinolone (βQ) or β-lactam-macrolide (βM) antibiotics. METHODS: We retrospectively studied a cohort of patients with SCAP treated from January 2000 to December 2010 at a mixed university-level intensive care ...

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the incidence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) induced by intravitreal injection of different intravitreal drugs. METHODS: This prospective observational study included 61 patients (61 eyes) with different underlying retinal diseases: exudative age-related macular degeneration (n = 47), cystoid macular edema (CME) after retinal vein occlusion (n = 8), and CME of ...

Visual hallucinations (VHs) can be associated with a variety of clinical conditions, and are also experienced by healthy people due to visual impairment. The condition is known as Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS). The circumstances favoring VHs support the hypothesis that sensory deprivation enhances the ongoing activity of the visual system ...

Graphene nanosheets (GNSs) have been considered as potential conductive additives for electrodes in Li-ion batteries to replace the existing carbon black (CB). Graphene has exceptionally high aspect ratio and excellent electrical conductivity, enabling the formation of extensive conductive networks at a much lower content than CB. This paper reports the ...

Using first-principles calculations based on gradient corrected density functional theory we show that an otherwise distorted icosahedric Mn(13) ferrimagnetic cluster, when doped with six B or C atoms, transforms into a ferromagnetic cuboctahedral cluster with a magnetic moment that is an order of magnitude larger than that of the pure ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether tirofiban would have been non-inferior to abciximab had the trial completed enrollment and place the termination of this trial in a broader research ethics context. BACKGROUND: TENACITY was terminated by the sponsor for financial reasons. At the time, event rates for the 2 treatment arms were ...

Predictable temporal and spatial patterns of synaptophysin expression previously were demonstrated in the normally developing fetal cerebral cortex, reflecting synaptogenesis without regard to neurotransmitters. We studied 6 human fetal brains with holoprosencephaly in the mid-2nd and 3rd trimesters with immunocytochemical antibodies against synaptophysin and other markers of neuronal maturation. We ...

We present the first coupling of laser spray ionization inlet (LSII) and matrix assisted ionization inlet (MAII) to high-field Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) for generation of electrospray-like ions to take advantage of increased sensitivity, mass range, and mass resolving power afforded by multiple charging. We ...

Hypoxia (low oxygen) and Notch signaling are two important regulators of vascular development, but how they interact in controlling the choice between arterial and venous fates for endothelial cells during vasculogenesis is less well understood. In this report, we show that hypoxia and Notch signaling intersect in promotion of arterial ...

The Bantu languages are widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Genetic research supports linguists and historians who argue that migration played an important role in the spread of this language family, but the genetic data also indicates a more complex process involving substantial gene flow with resident populations. In order to ...

We describe case histories of three women with post-abortion mania, including two women who underwent a change in diagnosis from bipolar II to bipolar I disorder and another woman who had no prior history of psychiatric disturbance. It is argued that the study of post-abortion mania should provide an opportunity ...

Congenital absence of pericardium is a rare malformation. We report 2 young patients with a diagnosis of congenital absence of the pericardium. The posteroanterior view of the chest X-ray showed displacement of the left cardiac border into the left hemithorax. Unusual acoustical windows and abnormal cardiac and septal motion during ...

A nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis method with electrospray-mass spectrometry detection was developed to study the glycerophospholipid fraction in olive fruit and olive oil samples. In olive fruits, where the information available about its phospholipids fraction was very scarce, results obtained in this work allowed to complete and improve this knowledge. The ...

Surgical site infection (SSI) after pilonidal disease surgery can lead to serious complications. We systematically searched the PubMed, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases for studies evaluating the use of antimicrobials as an adjunct to pilonidal disease surgery. We identified 12 eligible studies [nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs), three retrospective cohort studies], ...

It is critical for prostate cancer researchers and clinicians to have access to comprehensive, sensitive and simple-to-use symptom measures that allow them to understand and quantify the subjective patient experience. The purpose of the current review is to provide a comprehensive review, detailed tool descriptions and objectively defined quality criteria ...

The tumor-specific Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (TFα, CD176) is an attractive target for a cancer vaccine, especially as TF-directed antibodies play an important role in cancer immunosurveillance. However, synthetic TF vaccines have not overcome the low intrinsic immunogenicity of TF. Since natural TF-directed antibodies present in human sera are generated in response ...

Adolescents who experience homelessness are at higher risk for abusing substances, and for being exposed to substance-using peers. The current study used a longitudinal design to track substance abuse, affiliation with substance-using peers, and episodes of homelessness among a sample of 223 adolescents who were housed at the baseline data ...

Objective: To study serum type I interferon (IFN) activity in patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc). Method: Serum type I IFN activity was measured in 33 consecutive patients with SSc and a disease duration of < 2 years and in 13 healthy individuals by calculating a type I IFN score ...

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between stereoacuity, as analyzed by the Titmus stereotest, and the severity of myopia, astigmatism and anisometropia in a school-aged population in Taiwan. METHODS: Cycloplegic autorefraction, best corrected monocular visual acuity and stereoacuity were measured in 6- to 18-year-old school children. Children with amblyopia (best corrected ...

A Mott transistor that exhibits a large switching ratio of more than two orders at room temperature is demonstrated by using the electric double layer of an ionic liquid for gating on a strongly correlated electron system SmCoO(3) . From the thickness dependence of the on-state channel current, we estimate ...

Vitamin D is a key nutrient for both healthy children and those with chronic illnesses. Understanding its roles in health and disease has become one of the most important issues in the nutritional management of children. Formal guidelines related to nutrient requirements for vitamin D in healthy children, recommending dietary ...

Background. Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring has become increasingly important in interventions involving risk of damage to the nervous system. We aim to provide an overview of possibilities and limitations on the use of intraoperative neurophysiological methods.Method. The article is based on a review of relevant textbooks and articles from own literature ...

Sports injuries could be highly detrimental to the career of a physical education teacher education (PETE) student. To enable the development of future sports injury prevention programs, sports injuries in 128 first-year academic bachelor PETE students were registered prospectively during one academic year. Common risk factors for sports injuries, taken ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The narrow-leafed lupin, Lupinus angustifolius L., is a grain legume species with a relatively compact genome. The species has 2n = 40 chromosomes and its genome size is 960 Mbp/1C. During the last decade, L. angustifolius genomic studies have achieved several milestones, such as molecular-marker development, linkage maps, ...

Objectives: To assess the effect of ticagrelor on the pharmacokinetics of tolbutamide (a CYP2C9 substrate), and the effect of tolbutamide on ticagrelor pharmacokinetics. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, two-period, crossover study, 23 healthy volunteers received either placebo or ticagrelor 180 mg twice daily (b.i.d.) for 9 days, with a single ...

BACKGROUND: An algorithm for breast reconstruction for patients with complications after polyacrylamide gel (PAAG) injections is presented, and the outcomes of surgery using the adopted treatment protocol are evaluated. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical records of consecutive patients who were treated for PAAG complications with breast reconstruction at two surgical ...

BACKGROUND: There are few publications describing what optometrists like about clinical work. The purpose of this paper is to explore what optometrists in practice find satisfying with their work and what they find stressful. METHODS: Sixty Australian optometrists participated in a 30-minute semi-structured telephone or face-to-face interview during the period ...

PURPOSE: The need for perioperative blood management measures aimed at improving patient outcomes and reducing allogenic blood transfusion (ABT) is increasingly recognised. Our study aim is to create an algorithm to predict and manage the need for blood transfusion in patients with hip fractures. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 1,484 patients ...

Rhodococcus equi is a pathogenic member of the Actinobacteria responsible for causing serious infections in equines. A novel Siphoviridae bacteriophage (REQ1) lytic in R. equi was isolated and characterized. The genome size of REQ1 is 51,342 bp, and its sequence shares 7 % similarity to other DNA sequence in GenBank. Putative open ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The provision of feed is a major cost in beef production. Therefore, the improvement of feed efficiency is warranted. The direct assessment of feed efficiency has limitations and alternatives are needed. Small intestine micro-architecture is associated with function and may be related to feed efficiency. The objective was ...

PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of our treatment program for children with lower urinary tract conditions, developed at the Department of Pediatric Nephrology of the University Children's Hospital in Ljubljana. METHODS: Sixty-four patients with lower urinary tract conditions were randomly allocated to two groups. Group A received ...

I show that Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock Holmes' brother) is a formally described case of Asperger's syndrome a half century before Asperger's description of the syndrome. Further, given the genetic similarity and links between the brothers stated by Sherlock, this also cinches the same diagnosis for Sherlock.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Studies of developmental plasticity may provide insight into plasticity during adulthood, when neural circuitry is less responsive to losses or changes in input. In the mammalian auditory brainstem, globular bushy cell axons of the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) innervate the contralateral medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) ...