miRNAs, a subclass of small regulatory RNAs, are present from ancient unicellular protozoans to parasitic helminths and parasitic arthropods. The miRNA-silencing mechanism appears, however, to be absent in a number of protozoan parasites. Protozoan miRNAs and components of their silencing machinery possess features different from other eukaryotes, providing some clues ...

Multispecific antibody-like molecules have the potential to advance the standard-of-care in many human diseases. The design of therapeutic molecules in this class, however, has proven to be difficult and, despite significant successes in preclinical research, only one trivalent antibody, catumaxomab, has demonstrated clinical utility. The challenge originates from the complexity ...

Chemical transport models played key roles in understanding the atmospheric behaviors and deposition patterns of radioactive materials emitted from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after the nuclear accident that accompanied the great Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. However, model results could not be sufficiently evaluated because ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Many parasites show an extraordinary degree of host specificity, even though a narrow range of host species reduces the likelihood of successful transmission. In this study, we evaluate the genetic basis of host specificity and transmission success of experimental F1 hybrids from two closely related tapeworm species (Schistocephalus ...

SUMMARY: Coalescent simulation has become an indispensable tool in population genetics and many complex evolutionary scenarios have been incorporated into the basic algorithm. Despite many years of intense interest in spatial structure, however, there are no available methods to simulate the ancestry of a sample of genes that occupy a ...

To explore the potential of quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in differentiating focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 34 cases of FNH and 66 cases of HCC (all lesions <5 cm) were studied using CEUS to evaluate enhancement patterns and using analytic software Sonoliver® (Image-Arena™ v.4.0, TomTec ...

ABSTRACT:: Previous clinical and experimental studies suggested that invasion of the brain by metastatic melanoma may follow the external surfaces of vascular channels, that is, angiotropic extravascular migratory metastasis. Such angiotropic invasion seemss analogous to that of neoplastic glial invasion of the nervous system. We, therefore, have retrospectively investigated 20 ...

Rett syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder resulting from defects in the gene encoding the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Deficiency of the Mecp2 gene causes abnormalities in several systems in the brain, especially the norepinephrinergic and GABA-ergic systems. The norepinephrinergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) modulate a variety of ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (19-22-nt) single-stranded noncoding RNA molecules whose deregulation of expression can contribute to human disease including the multistep processes of carcinogenesis in human. Circulating miRNAs are emerging biomarkers in many diseases and cancers such as type 2 diabetes, pulmonary disease, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer ...

A gene encoding a novel organic solvent-tolerant alkaline lipase, lipS (GenBank ID JQ071496), was cloned from cold-adapted Pseudomonas mandelii. Recombinant LipS was expressed in Escherichia coli as a 32-kDa soluble protein and was purified by standard procedures. It maintained more than 80% of its activity under alkaline conditions, pH 8-10.5, ...

RPA2 is a subunit of a trimeric RPA complex important for DNA repair and replication. Although it is known that RPA activity is regulated by post-translational modification, whether RPA expression is regulated and the mechanism therein is currently unknown. eIF3a, the largest subunit of eIF3, is an important player in ...

The populations of the Kii Peninsula in Japan and of Guam present high incidences of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia complex. It is thought that low levels of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the drinking water are involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The present study aimed to ...

BackgroundThe goal of this study was to investigate whether the amount of hypointense signal on susceptibility-weighted imaging within the contrast-enhancing lesion (%SWI-h) on the pretreatment scan could determine response in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme who received external beam radiation therapy with concomitant anti-angiogenic therapy (enzastaurin) and cytotoxic chemotherapy ...

OBJECTIVE:: To describe the incidence and severity of hyponatremia after initiation of arginine vasopressin therapy in children recovering from cardiothoracic surgery, and to compare these patients with a control group with similar disease complexity and severity who did not receive arginine vasopressin. DESIGN:: Retrospective chart review. SETTING:: PICU at a ...

Background:Longer androgen receptor gene CAG trinucleotide repeats, AR (CAG)n, have been associated with reduced sensitivity of the androgen receptor (AR) in vitro as well as in humans. Furthermore, short AR (CAG)n have been associated with premature adrenarche.Objective:The aim of the study was to evaluate associations between the AR (CAG)n polymorphism ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Metabolic acidosis contributes to muscle breakdown in patients with CKD, but whether its treatment improves functional outcomes is unknown. The choice of dose and tolerability of high doses remain unclear. In CKD patients with mild acidosis, this study evaluated the dose-response relationship of alkali with serum bicarbonate, ...

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Prior to the 1980's permanent feeding tube placement was limited to an open surgical procedure until Dr.'s Gauderer and Ponsky described the safe placement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes. This procedure has since expanded beyond the realm of surgeons to include gastroenterologists, thoracic surgeons and interventional radiologists. ...

Workers at the Mayak nuclear facility in the Russian Federation offer a unique opportunity to evaluate health risks from exposure to inhaled plutonium. Risks of mortality from lung cancer, the most serious carcinogenic effect of plutonium, were evaluated in 14,621 Mayak workers who were hired in the period from 1948-1982, ...

Background:Forefoot and tarsometatarsal surgery may be performed on the first and second metatarsal through the intermetatarsal space. However, no study has identified the safety area of the proximal metatarsal bone to avoid vascular injury.Methods:One hundred and twenty-two uninjured embalmed feet of 31 female and 33 male cadavers aged 15 to ...

Reduced dimensional quantum dynamics calculations of the infrared spectrum of the H_5^+ and D_5^+ clusters are reported in both low, 300--2200 cm^{-1}, and high, 2400--4500 cm^{-1}, energy regions. The proposed four-dimensional quantum model describes the motion of the proton between the two vibrating hydrogen molecules. The simulations are performed using ...

ABSTRACT: This study aims to assess the effect of EM application on the composting process of rice straw with goat manure and green waste and to evaluate the quality of both compost treatments. There are two treatment piles in this study, in which one pile was applied with EM and ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Malaria morbidity and mortality have been significantly reduced through the proper use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, but the extra protection afforded by the insecticide diminishes over time. The insecticide depletion rates vary according to location where wash frequency and wear are influenced by cultural habits as well as ...

We isolated an Arabidopsis knockout line lacking glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD1), one that produced γ-aminobutyrate (GABA), as an oxidative stress-insensitive mutant, and found that chloroplastic H(2)O(2) enhances GAD1 expression and GABA levels. This suggests a possible relationship between GABA metabolism and the chloroplastic H(2)O(2)-mediated stress response.

Repaglinide is mainly metabolized by cytochrome-P-450 (CYP)2C8 and CYP3A4, and is also a substrate to hepatic uptake transporter, organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP)1B1. The purpose of this study is to predict the "dosing-time" dependent pharmacokinetic interactions of repaglinide with rifampicin, using mechanistic models. In vitro hepatic transport of repaglinide, characterized ...

Purpose:To assess the feasibility of imaging deep-lying internal organs at high spatial resolution by imaging kidney glomeruli in a rodent model with use of a newly developed, wireless amplified nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) detector.Materials and Methods:This study was approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee at the National Institutes ...

OBJECTIVES: Persistent infection with specific genotypes of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is the main cause of invasive cervical cancer (ICC). Only a few of the various HPV types account for most of the cases worldwide, and geographical differences in their distribution are evident. Data from locally prevalent genotypes are essential in ...

OBJECTIVES:: A catheter thrombosis and the presence of a catheter-associated bloodstream infection (CBSI) often occur simultaneously, but it is unclear if or to what degree the two complications relate. Several animal and adult studies indicate a relationship between fibrin sheaths and thrombi in the development of CBSIs. To date, there ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent inflammation and tissue remodeling and is a leading cause of death in the United States. Increased apoptosis of pulmonary epithelial cells is thought to play a role in COPD development and progression. Identification of signaling pathways resulting in increased apoptosis in ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Root cause analysis (RCA) originated in the manufacturing engineering sector but has been adapted for routine use in healthcare to investigate patient safety incidents and facilitate organizational learning. Despite the limitations of the RCA evidence base, healthcare authorities and decision makers in NHS Scotland -- similar to those ...

We conducted a pilot study of the effectiveness of home telehealth for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated with long-term oxygen therapy. Patients were randomized into a telehealth group (n &frac14; 24) and a control group (n &frac14; 21) who received usual care. Patients in the telehealth group ...

Aims: Sunburn in childhood is a known risk factor for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Based on a theoretical model, we tested the hypothesis that parental attitudes and behaviour are related to the risk of sunburn in their children. Methods: We analysed the association between behaviour in the sun and ...

Abstract This case series compares patient experiences and therapeutic processes between two modalities of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for depression: computerized CBT (cCBT) and therapist-delivered CBT (tCBT). In a mixed-methods repeated-measures case series, six participants were offered cCBT and tCBT in sequence, with the order of delivery randomized across participants. ...

Background: In the motivational model of alcohol use, there are two dimensions underlying the classification of drinking motives resulting in four drinking motive categories: enhancement, social, coping, and conformity motives. Methods: Using confirmatory factor analysis, the current study provides evidence on the best fitting factor structure in a large representative ...

An alpha-carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) has been identified, cloned and characterized from the unicellular protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. The enzyme (TcCA) has a very high catalytic activity for the CO2 hydration reaction, being similar kinetically to the human (h) isoform hCA II, although it ...

Dark and light adaptation in photoreceptors involve multiple processes including those which change protein concentrations at photosensitive membranes. Light and dark-adaptive changes in protein levels at rhabdoms have been described in detail in white eyed Drosophila maintained under artificial light. Here we tested whether protein levels at rhabdoms change significantly ...

Understanding factors driving diversity across biodiversity hotspots is critical for formulating conservation priorities in the face of ongoing and escalating environmental deterioration. While biodiversity hotspots encompass a small fraction of Earth's land surface, more than half the world's plants and two-thirds of terrestrial vertebrate species are endemic to these hotspots. ...

The electronic structure of the trinuclear symmetric complex [(tmedaCu)(3)S(2)]((3+)), whose Cu(3)S(2) core represents a model of the active site of metalloenzymes involved in biological processes, has been in recent years the subject of vigorous debate. The complex exists as an open-shell triplet and discussions concerned the question whether there is ...

Wnt signalling is often constitutively active in colorectal cancer cells. The expression of the intestinal specific transcription factor CDX2 is found transiently decreased in invasive cells at the tumor/stroma interface. A recent ChIP-Seq study has indicated that several Wnt signalling-related genes are regulated by CDX2. The aim was to investigate ...

Fucoidan, a fucose-rich polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed, has antitumor, anticoagulant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Several studies have shown that a fucoidan treatment of cancer cells induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis and inhibited angiogenesis and invasion. We investigated in the present study the effect of low-molecular-weight fucoidan (LMWF) on apoptosis ...

Efforts to selectively target and disrupt established tumor vasculature have largely failed to date. We hypothesized that a vaccinia virus engineered to target cells with activation of the ras/MAPK signaling pathway (JX-594) could specifically infect and express transgenes (hGM-CSF, β-galactosidase) in tumor-associated vascular endothelial cells in humans. Efficient replication and ...

Zinc-finger recombinases (ZFRs) represent a potentially powerful class of tools for targeted genetic engineering. These chimeric enzymes are composed of an activated catalytic domain derived from the resolvase/invertase family of serine recombinases and a custom-designed zinc-finger DNA-binding domain. The use of ZFRs, however, has been restricted by sequence requirements imposed ...

Background:It has been reported that there is a significant positive relationship between PTH and body weight or body mass index in the general population. However, little is known about this relationship in dialysis patients in whom PTH levels are higher. It is also not known whether fat mass or lean ...

Thromboses represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality in polycythemia vera but the contributing mechanisms are not fully described. To evaluate whether environmental conditions such as altitude/hypoxia could impact thrombosis history, we retrospectively analyzed thrombosis history in 71 polycythemia vera patients living at an elevation of 5000 feet or ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Crop yields have to increase to provide food security for the world's growing population. To achieve these yield increases there will have to be a significant contribution from genetic gains made by conventional plant breeding. However, the breeding process is not efficient because crosses made between parental combinations ...

PURPOSE:: To evaluate the efficacy of a midface seal drape in eliminating fire risk oxygen concentrations from nasal cannulated oxygen delivery compared with a standard open oculofacial surgical field. METHODS:: Controlled experiment using the SimMan patient simulator and an oxygen detector. Oxygen concentrations were measured at 9 facial surgical locations ...

Background Lower extremity soft tissue defects pose a challenging problem to patients with comorbidities. Reconstruction with tissue transfer offers an effective alternative to amputation in this population. Although abundant with data on success and complication rates, the literature has not focused on assessing patient-centered outcomes of these reconstructive procedures.Methods A ...

Background:Tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis using a nail has been shown to be an effective salvage technique; however, there is a risk of major amputation. A better understanding of the relative risk of amputation after TTC fusion and the factors that influence this could help the preoperative consultation and guide discussion on ...

In this work, novel electrospun scaffolds with fibers oriented randomly and evenly in three dimensions (3D) including in the thickness direction were developed based on the principle of electrostatic repulsion. This unique structure is different from most electrospun scaffolds with fibers oriented mainly in one direction. The structure of novel ...

Determination of orientation of nanoscale collapse structures formed within a Langmuir film at the air-aqueous interface has not been possible by existing experimental techniques. This is however of special importance for pulmonary surfactant films, which form reversible surface-associated reservoirs (SARs) under dynamic lateral compression and expansion. The direction of these ...

Sulfiredoxin (Srx) is the enzyme that reduces the hyperoxidized inactive form of Peroxiredoxins (Prxs). To study the function of Srx in carcinogenesis in vivo, we tested whether loss of Srx protects mice from cancer development. Srx null mice were generated and colon carcinogenesis was induced by an azoxymethane (AOM) and ...