Generally, the length of the oxide nanowires grown by vapor phase transport is limited by the degradation of the source materials. Furthermore, the source material is used once for the nanowires growth. By exploiting the Si-Zn phase diagram, we have developed a simple methodology for the non-catalytic growth of ultralong ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS was first reported in Ecuador in 1984 and its prevalence has been increasing ever since. In 2009, the National AIDS Program reported 21,810 HIV/AIDS cases and confirmed that the worker population was amongst the most affected groups. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge about ...

With the advent of in vivo laser scanning fluorescence microscopy techniques, time-series and three-dimensional volumes of living tissue and vessels at micron scales can be acquired to firmly analyze vessel architecture and blood flow. Analysis of a large number of image stacks to extract architecture and track blood flow manually ...

BACKGROUND: Help seeking for online peer and other social support in response to depression and other mental health problems offers an electronic technology alternative to traditional mental health care. Here, with nationally representative samples of adult community residents in the USA, we study online peer support help seeking, estimate its ...

The purpose of this study was to assess hair selenium levels of liver patients suffering from hepatic simple steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in central areas of China. Selenium was measured by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with the hydride generation system. The levels of selenium in healthy individuals ranged ...

Osteoid osteoma is a relatively common benign skeletal tumor. The traditional standard treatment has been surgical resection of the nidus. Recently, computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has gained favor as a more precise alternative due to potentially less bone destruction. However, CT-guided RFA is limited in treatment for osteoid ...

Microbial fermentation under anaerobic and microaerobic conditions has been used for the production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD), a monomer used to produce polymers such as polytrimethylene terephthalate. In this study, we screened microorganisms using the high throughput screening method and isolated the Klebsiella pneumoniae AJ4 strain, which is able to produce ...

Within the adult population living with congenital heart defects, approximately 20 % have an atrial septal defect, which suggests that only 0.4-0.05 % of the entire adult population has an atrial septal defect (ASD). In patients with a left to right atrial shunt, treatments may include closure of the defect ...

Spatial perspective taking is a crucial social skill that underlies many of our everyday interactions. Previous studies have suggested that spatial perspective taking is an embodied process that involves the integration of both motor and proprioceptive information. Given the importance of vestibular signals for own-body perception, mental own-body imagery, and ...

OBJECTIVES: Paracetamol is frequently prescribed for pain and fever control in acute stroke patients, but its effect on stroke outcome is unclear. The aim was to investigate the safety and benefit of paracetamol administration in the acute phase of ischaemic stroke. METHODS: We analysed the impact of paracetamol exposure on ...

Non healing wounds present a significant social and economic burden. Chronic non healing wounds are estimated to affect as many as 1-2% of individuals during their lifetime, and account for billions of dollars of expense annually on both a national and global basis. Our purpose is to describe the use ...

Radiation damage following the ionising radiation of tissue has different scenarios and mechanisms depending on the projectiles or radiation modality. We investigate the radiation damage effects due to shock waves produced by ions. We analyse the strength of the shock wave capable of directly producing DNA strand breaks and, depending ...

PURPOSE: To investigate the mechanism behind the aggregation breaking properties of dexamethasone phosphate and related corticosteroids on the IgG1 antibody bevacizumab (Avastin®). METHODS: An in silico 3D dimer model is developed to identify the bevacizumab-bevacizumab interface, and different corticosteroids are docked onto the model to distinguish preferred binding sites. In ...

ABSTRACT: Correction to Hoffmann et al., Virology Journal 2012 9:109.

OBJECTIVE Numerous articles have identified that medical technologies diffuse more rapidly among non-Latino whites compared with other racial-ethnic groups. However, whether health risk warnings also diffuse differentially across racial-ethnic minority groups is uncertain. This study assessed racial-ethnic variation in children's antidepressant use before and after the 2004 black-box warning concerning ...

SCOPE: We aimed to evaluate the predictability of short-term (5 days) changes in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) gene expression for long-term (12 weeks) changes induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice were fed semisynthetic diets containing 10 (low-fat diet) or 40 (HFD) energy% of fat. Global ...

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common malignancy of the female reproductive tract and the fourth most common cancer overall. Approximately 20 % of patients with EC harbor disease outside the uterus, and 10 % of patients initially diagnosed with cancer confined to the uterus are found to have lymph node metastases. ...

This study demonstrates the capacity of the one-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting method using the microsatellite primers (GACA)(4) or (GTG)(5) (MSP-PCR) to identify six of the most frequent dermatophyte species causing cutaneous mycosis. PCR with (GACA)(4) was a suitable method to recognise Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum and ...

Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, expressed in liver, intestine and other tissues. PXR exerts transcriptional regulation by binding to its DNA response elements as an heterodimer with Retinoid X Receptor (RXR). This nuclear receptor is implicated in the homeostasis of numerous endobiotics, such ...

PURPOSE: Limited data are available on the difficulties experienced over time by caregivers of patients with eating disorders (CPED). The aim of this study was to describe changes in anxiety and depression among such caregivers over 1 year and to identify factors predicting any change in both. METHODS: At recruitment, 145 ...

A little over a decade ago, Martino and Marks (Current Directions in Psychological Science 10:61-65, 2001) put forward the influential claim that cases of intuitive matchings between stimuli in different sensory modalities should be considered as a weak form of synesthesia. Over the intervening years, many other researchers have agreed-at ...

The inclusion of legumes in pasture reduces the need for mineral nitrogen applications and the pollution of groundwater; however, the agronomic and animal husbandry advantages with tropical legumes are still little known. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of the use of forage peanut (Arachis pintoi ...

Investigating the nature of physiological traits potentially related to fitness is important towards a better understanding of how species and/or populations may respond to selective pressures imposed by contrasting environments. In northern species in particular, the ability to mobilize energy reserves to compensate for the low external energy intake during ...

Skin prick testing (SPT) in combination with the clinical history of the patient is one important step in the diagnosis of IgE-mediated occupational allergies. However, skin test performance is related to the quality of allergen extracts. The present consensus document was prepared by an EAACI Task Force consisting of an ...

Organic semiconductors constitute promising candidates toward large-scale electronic circuits that are entirely spintronics-driven. Toward this goal, tunneling magnetoresistance values above 300% at low temperature suggested the presence of highly spin-polarized device interfaces. However, such spinterfaces have not been observed directly, let alone at room temperature. Thanks to experiments and theory ...

A series of heteroleptic platinum(ii) complexes ( and ) bearing a dicarbene ligand and a cyclometalated bidentate ligand have been prepared. Two of the complexes ( and ) were characterized by X-ray diffraction analyses, confirming the square-planar structures. Detailed spectroscopic properties of the complexes have been studied, and two complexes, ...

Abstract The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle represents the key enzymatic steps in cellular energy metabolism. Once the TCA cycle is impaired in case of inherited metabolic disorders, life-threatening episodes of metabolic decompensation and severe organ failure can arise. We present the case of a 6 ½-year-old girl with propionic acidaemia ...

We report branched peptide boronic acids (BPBAs) that bind to RRE IIB from an on-bead high-throughput screening of a 3.3.4-library (46 656 compounds). We demonstrate that boronic acids are tunable moieties that afford a novel binding mode towards RNA.

Objective: The goals of this study were to establish a new model for predicting in-hospital mortality of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to compare the predictive accuracy of the new model with the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) model. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 18206 Chinese patients undergoing ...

The introduction of bulky tert-butyl substituents into smectic liquid-crystalline 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene derivatives influences excimer structures and luminescence properties.

Compelling evidence indicates that polyphenolic antioxidants show protective effects against diabetic complications. We investigated the effects of a polyphenolic compound, 7-O-galloyl- D-sedoheptulose (GS), from Corni Fructus on a type 2 diabetic db/db mouse model. After 6 weeks of GS treatment, the effects of GS on serum and pancreatic biochemical factors ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: We have recently reported on the changes in plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profiles in lung cancer patients and the efficacy of a PFAA-based, multivariate discrimination index for the early detection of lung cancer. In this study, we aimed to verify the usefulness and robustness of PFAA profiling ...

PURPOSE: Metastases are a frequent finding in gastric cancer and are associated with poor prognosis. A recently discovered link between metabolic changes, differentiation, and therapy resistance due to tumor stem cells could depict a novel approach in cancer research and therapy. Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) is a metabolic enzyme and ...

Abstract The authors report a case of rare chloroquine cardiotoxicity mimicking connective tissue disease heart involvement in a 56-year-old woman with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) manifested suddenly as third degree A-V block with QT(c) interval prolongation and short torsade de pointes runs ultimately degenerating into ventricular fibrillation. Immunological tests ...

In this study, we examined the bioavailability of arsenic through the mangrove oyster Crassostrea corteziensis sampled from seven coastal lagoons in SE Gulf of California during the rainy and dry seasons. As concentrations in soft tissue of oysters C. corteziensis fluctuated between 5.2 and 11.6 μg/g on dry weight; organisms from ...

A 2-year-old female presented acutely with peritonitis and small bowel obstruction. An abdominal radiograph demonstrated a radiopaque foreign body. At laparotomy she was found to have bowel perforations with entero-enteric fistulae caused by four magnets. The magnets were removed, and debridement and closure of the perforations performed. We review our ...

Tubulysins are cytotoxic natural products with promising anti-cancer properties, originally isolated from myxobacterial cultures. Structurally, tubulysins are tetrapeptides, incorporating three unusual (Mep, Tuv and Tup) and one proteinogenic amino acid (Ile). Here we describe the synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of novel tubulysin U and V analogues, with variations in ...

Aurora-A is a mitotic kinase implicated in oncogenesis and is known to be overexpressed in B-cell lymphomas and plasma cell myeloma. The expression of Aurora-A kinase (henceforth referred to as Aurora-A) in T-cell lymphomas is not well characterized. In this study, we assessed Aurora-A expression by immunohistochemical analysis in 100 ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays an important role in affective states and disorders. CRF is not only a "stress hormone" but also a neuromodulator outside the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. The amygdala, a brain center for emotions, is a major site of extrahypothalamic expression of CRF and its G-protein-coupled receptors. ...

Abstract Retained low-density lipoproteins (LDL) by arterial glycosaminoglycans (GAG) are more susceptible to reactive oxygen species-mediated oxidation, contributing to oxidative stress and atherosclerosis. Recently, we reported the properties of the chimeric mouse/human monoclonal antibody chP3R99-LALA to bind sulfated GAG, inhibit LDL-chondroitin sulfate binding and avoid LDL oxidation in vitro. Here, ...

Pharmaco-nutrients have beneficial effects on protective and immunological mechanisms in patients undergoing surgery, which are important for recovery after injury and in combating infectious agents. The aim of this review article was to outline the potential of the administration of nutritional substrates to surgical patients and the underlying mechanisms that ...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the safety and the efficacy of the self-gripping Parietex ProGrip™ mesh (Sofradim Production, Trévoux, France) used with the laparoscopic approach for inguinal hernia repair. The incidence of chronic pain, post-operative complications, patient satisfaction and hernia recurrence at follow-up after 12 months was ...

Using a ternary sex pheromone blend [86:6:6 v:v:v (Z,Z)-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate: (E,Z)-2,13-octadecadienyl acetate: (Z,E)-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate], we tested the effect of dispenser type and trap design for capture of dogwood borer (DWB), Synanthedon scitula Harris (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) in apple orchards in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. Wing-style sticky traps baited with ...

Under stress conditions, microalgae are known to accumulate large amounts of neutral lipids and carbohydrates, which can be used for biofuel production. However, on-line measurement of microalgal biochemical composition is a difficult task which makes the microalgal process rather difficult to manage. In this paper, we propose a so called ...

BACKGROUND: Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is viewed as a relatively mild dermatologic condition; however, affected individuals feel that alopecia is a serious condition with major consequences in their life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the health status, the risk of anxiety/depression, the coping strategies, and alexithymia in ...

Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin (CP, 370 residues) is one of the main agents involved in the development of gas gangrene. In this study, the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the C-terminal domain (CP251-370) of the toxin and phospholipase C (CB, 372 residues) of C. bifermentans, isolated from cases of clostridium necrosis, ...

We observed a 59-year-old right-handed man with an infarction in his right-middle cerebral artery that included the parietal lobe, who abnormally manipulated mental images in the horizontal direction, resulting in calculation disturbances. Three years later, the patient suffered an infarction in the left parietal lobe and displayed abnormalities during the ...

Bone marrow cell infusion (BMI) has recently been suggested as an effective therapy for refractory liver disease; however, the efficiency of BMI using canine bone marrow cells (cBMCs) has not been reported. We evaluated the accumulation potential of cBMCs in a mouse model of acute liver failure. Acute hepatitis was ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Post-mating interactions between the reproductive traits and gametes of mating individuals and among their genes within zygotes are invariably complex, providing multiple opportunities for reproduction to go awry. These interactions have the potential to act as barriers to gene flow between species, and may be important in the ...

Electrophysiological abnormalities of the QT interval of the standard electrocardiogram are not uncommon. Congenital long QT syndrome is due to mutations of several possible genes (genotype) that result in prolongation of the corrected QT interval (phenotype). Abnormalities of the QT interval can be acquired and are often drug-induced. Torsades de ...