We studied the effects of a single practice session of a variable task with subject-specific adjustments of task difficulty (instability) on indices of multi-finger coordination in young and elderly persons. The main hypothesis was that practicing such a task would lead to contrasting changes in the amounts of two components ...

Abstract Hyperthyrotropinaemia [mildly elevated thyrotropin (TSH) with normal thyroxine (T4) levels] demands a full assessment, including clinical examination, thyroid imaging and, where indicated, molecular genetic investigations. A male infant, both of whose parents were on T4 treatment, was referred at age 57 days with mild but persistent TSH elevation (12.7 mU/L) and ...

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) are multipotent cells within the embryonic and adult brain that give rise to both neuronal and glial cell lineages. Maintenance of NSPC multipotency is promoted by low oxygen tension, although the metabolic underpinnings of this trait have not been described. In the present study, we investigated ...

Purpose: The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive method for the correction of pectus excavatum (PE). Pleural effusion complicating following the Nuss procedure was uncommon but may be critical. We evaluated the risk factors of postoperative pleural effusion after Nuss repair. Methods: We included all patients with PE primarily corrected ...

BACKGROUND: Many university students experience some symptoms of depression during the course of their studies but there is evidence that students from less advantaged backgrounds may be more vulnerable. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional online survey of 923 undergraduate students attending 6 UK Universities in the academic year 2009-2010 ...

BACKGROUND: Mast cells (MC) are main effector cells of allergic and other inflammatory reactions; however, only a few anti-MC agents are available for therapy. It has been reported that cinnamon extract (CE) attenuates allergic symptoms by affecting immune cells; however, its influence on MC was not studied so far. Here, ...

The sixth International Symposium on Autophagy took place in October 2012 in Okinawa, Japan. It brought together scientists from all over the world to cultivate a better understanding of cutting-edge autophagy research from molecular mechanisms to disease states.

Induction of HO-1 protein can have both beneficial and detrimental effects for cells, including regulating proliferation and apoptosis of several tumors. We have investigated the regulation of HO-1, p38MAPK and mTOR in the context of proliferation, cell cycle events and apoptosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Real-time PCR and ...

Tumour-initiating cells (TICs) have been identified in many solid human tumours, including malignant melanoma. In this study, an enriched TIC population was identified in two canine malignant melanoma cell lines (CML1 and CML6M) using cell surface markers and functional assays, including the sphere forming assay, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) assay, reverse ...

Cytogenetically normal myelodysplastic syndrome (CN-MDS) can pose diagnostic challenges and its pathogenetic mechanism remains elusive. By focusing on cytogenetically normal refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (CN-RCMD), a subtype of MDS, our genome-wide profiling showed approximately 4600 annotated gene promoters with increased Histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) in CN-RCMD, when ...

BACKGROUND: The direct anterior approach for THA allows implantation through an internervous plane without muscle detachment from bone. However, the classic longitudinal skin incision does not follow the anatomic skin creases and can result in scar widening. We therefore modified our incision technique to a short oblique skin incision following ...

Purpose: Reconstruction with free jejunal graft (FJG) has been widely accepted for patients undergone pharyngo-cervical esophageal resection. Those patients often suffer variety of complications regarding postoperative peros function. We investigated risk factors especially focused on the development of dysphagia after FJG reconstruction. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical ...

Newly identified spore-forming pigmented marine bacteria, Bacillus indicus HU36 and Bacillus firmus GB1, are sources of carotenoids (mainly 15 yellow and orange pigments and 13 pink pigments, respectively) with original structures. These bacterial carotenoids were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the iron-induced peroxidation of linoleic acid micelles, or sunflower ...

Communities That Care (CTC) is a universal, science-based community prevention system designed to reduce risk, enhance protection, and prevent adolescent health and behavior problems community wide. CTC has been found to have sustained effects on cigarette use and delinquent and violent behaviors in grade 10 in a panel of 4,407 ...

In cartilage tissue engineering bioreactors can create a controlled environment to study chondrocyte behavior under mechanical stimulation or produce chondrogenic grafts of clinically relevant size. Here we present a novel bioreactor, which combines mechanical stimulation with a two compartment system through which nutrients can be supplied solely by diffusion from ...

Nonlinear computational analysis of materials showing elasto-plasticity or damage relies on knowledge of their yield behavior and strengths under complex stress states. In this work, a generalized anisotropic quadric yield criterion is proposed that is homogeneous of degree one and takes a convex quadric shape with a smooth transition from ...

We studied the relationship between perceived social image and life satisfaction in four different cultural groups. One-hundred nine Indian (63 females, 46 males), 67 Pakistani/Bangladeshi (36 females, 31 males), 76 White British (43 females, 33 males), and 94 European Americans (43 females, 48 males) completed measures on the cultural importance of ...

Bifocal disruption of the knee extensor mechanism is a rare injury. Bifocal proximal and distal avulsion fracture of the patella tendon is extremely rare in adults. Here, the authors report the case of an 84-year-old male patient who developed simultaneous avulsion fracture of the patella tendon from the inferior pole ...

The potential biomedical application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) pertinent to drug delivery is highly manifested considering the remarkable electronic and structural properties exhibited by CNT. To simulate the interaction of nanomaterials with biomolecular systems, we have performed density functional calculations on the interaction of pyrazinamide (PZA) drug with functionalized single-wall ...

OBJECTIVES: To explore the possibility of a generally applicable tool for the immediate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) in its early stage, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of an acute levodopa challenge test with that of (123) I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 45 ...

In this work, novel modified nanoclays were used to mineralize hydroxyapatite (HAP) mimicking biomineralization in bone. This in situ HAPclay was further incorporated into chitosan/polygalacturonic acid (Chi/PgA) scaffolds and films for bone tissue engineering. Differences in microstructure of the scaffolds were observed depending on the changes in processing of in ...

PURPOSE: The function of regulatory T cells (Foxp3(+)CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells: T(reg)) after surgery remains unspecified. We investigated the potential role of T(reg) as a new stress marker for various operations. METHODS: Thirty-three patients who underwent various operations at our department were divided into the following three groups based on the ...

Nanomechanical resonators have an unprecedented mass sensitivity sufficient to detect single molecules, viruses or nanoparticles. The challenge with nanomechanical mass sensors is the direction of nano-sized samples onto the resonator. In this work we present an efficient inertial sampling technique and gravimetric detection of airborne nanoparticles with a nanomechanical resonant ...

The discovery of a novel non-AT(1), non-AT(2) binding site for angiotensins in the rodent brain and testis that is unmasked by the organomercurial compound para-chloromercuribenzoic acid (PCMB) has catalyzed efforts to purify and characterize this protein. We recently reported that this protein is neurolysin and now report upon the specificity ...

This paper describes the synthesis and detailed characterization of a new set of magnetic surfactants containing lanthanide metal counterions. SQUID magnetometry has been used to elucidate the magnetic phase behaviour, and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) provides evidence of micellar aggregation in aqueous media. This study also reveals that for cationic ...

Abstract We report 20 infants aged between 1 month and 6 months found to have subdural bleeding and also multiple unexplained fractures in a pattern similar to that described earlier as temporary brittle bone disease. Child abuse seemed unlikely as a cause of the fractures as in no case was ...

Abstract Diabetes mellitus and breast cancer are two important health problems. Type 2 diabetes and obesity are closely linked with both being associated with breast cancer. Despite abundant epidemiological data, there is no definitive evidence regarding the mechanisms responsible for this association. The proposed mechanisms by which diabetes affects breast ...

Background: Arterial repair in the early phase following implantation of a zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) remains unknown. Methods and Results: Following implantation of 49 Endeavor ZES in 33 patients, follow-up angioscopy was performed in 13 patients (26 ZES) in the early phase (EP; 123±24 days) and in 20 patients (23 ZES) in the ...

Purpose: Short term results of on-pump and off-pump techniques in patients undergoing reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting (redo CABG) were investigated in this study. Methods: A total of 14.430 patients have undergone isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in our clinic from 1998 to 2010. Of these patients, 105 patients who ...

Background: There are many causes of mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy, such as neoplasms, granulomatous diseases, infections and reactive hyperplasia. Nowadays, the popularity of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUSTBNA) is increasing in the diagnosis of mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of EBUS-TBNA in patients ...

3,4-Dihydroxyacetophenone(3,4-DHAP) is one herbal extract from bald Mao-dong-qing leaves. We reported that 3,4-DHAP had anti-inflammatory function by decreasing tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) secretion in macrophages. The aim of the study was to examine the effects of 3,4-DHAP on plasma and liver lipids, plasma alanine aminotranferase (ALT) and TNF-α level, vascular cell ...

The members of high-temperature requirement (HtrA) family are evolutionarily conserved serine proteases that combine a trypsin-like protease domain with at least one PDZ interaction domain. HtrA2, a special one, is mainly located in mitochondria and required for maintaining homeostasis. Once released into cytoplasm, HtrA2 contributes to apoptosis via caspase-dependent and ...

PURPOSE: Simultaneous activation of T helper 1 (Th1) cell function has crucial roles in induction of potent cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in cancer immunotherapy. Here, we investigated whether dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines loaded with both tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-derived MHC class I and pan-MHC class II peptides could elicit more ...

OBJECT: The design of a multinuclear low-field NMR unit with variable field strength <6 mT providing accurate spin manipulations and sufficient sensitivity for direct detection of samples in thermal equilibrium to aid parahydrogen-based hyperpolarization experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An optimized, resistive magnet connected to a battery or wall-power driven current source ...

Our study was carried out on two species of clams, Venerupis aurea laeta and Cerastoderma edule glaucum, from Ganzirri Lake considered as "environmental biomarkers" for their changes in physiology, morphology or distribution under the influence of substances in the environment. The aim of the present study was to conduct a ...

The emergence of dynamical abrupt transitions in the macroscopic state of a system is currently a subject of the utmost interest. The occurrence of a first-order phase transition to synchronization of an ensemble of networked phase oscillators was reported, so far, for very particular network architectures. Here, we show how ...

The mechanism of the formation of phenol from PhI and CsOH catalysed by copper(i) ligated to the 1,3-diketonate ket'(-) generated from 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione (TMHD) has been investigated by DFT calculations associated with experimental techniques: cyclic voltammetry, (1)H NMR, and ESI-MS. Weak halogen bonding between the negatively charged O atom of [(ket')Cu(I)-OH](-) ...

We report the development of silica/polymer double-walled hybrid nanotubes, which consist of a hollow cavity, a porous silica inner-wall and a stimuli-responsive (pH, temperature, and redox) polymeric outer-wall, as a novel nano-container system. The length, diameter, wall thickness and aspect ratio of the hybrid nanotubes are precisely controlled in the ...

The synthetically and biologically important 4-methyl and 4-methoxy tetrahydro-γ-carboline compounds were readily synthesized in high yields from an aryl amine and a 5-amino-3-oxopentanoate derivative through a series of reactions of enamination, oxidative annulation, deprotection/lactamization and the final reduction reaction of the carbonyl group. The underpinning strategy involves the oxidative C(sp(2))-C(sp(2)) ...

Introduction: Cigarette smoke has negative effects on bone metabolism and fracture repair. However, no study has reviewed effects of nicotine on bone and fracture repair independent of other constituents of cigarette smoke. The authors review the existing evidence of the effect of nicotine on 'bone' and 'bone cells' and fracture ...

OBJECTIVE Mental disability in China has become a significant public health problem. However, few studies have examined utilization of mental health services in China among people with mental disabilities. This study explored patterns of service use and associated socioeconomic factors among Chinese adults with mental disabilities. METHODS Data from a ...

Two freshwater microalgae including Chlamydomonas mexicana and Scenedesmus obliquus were grown on Bold Basal Medium (BBM) with different levels of salinity up to 100 mM NaCl. The dry biomass and lipid content of microalgae were improved as the concentration of NaCl increased from 0 to 25 mM. Highest dry weight (0.8 and ...

The importance of in silico modeling in the pharmaceutical industry is continuously increasing. The aim of the present study was the development of a neural network model for prediction of the postcompressional properties of scored tablets based on the application of existing data sets from our previous studies. Some important ...

An objective measurement technique to quantify 3D femoral head shape was developed and applied to normal subjects and patients with cam-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). 3D reconstructions were made from high-resolution CT images of 15 cam and 15 control femurs. Femoral heads were fit to ideal geometries consisting of rotational conchoids ...

BACKGROUND: One of the most promising strategies to face the increasing asthma prevalence and to prevent disease development might be an early contact with microbial compounds. However, little is known about an interaction between an early-life contact to microbial compounds leading to asthma protection in the offspring and a co-exposure ...

Extracellular DNA traps are part of the innate immune response and are seen with many infectious, allergic, and autoimmune diseases. They can be generated by several different leukocytes, including neutrophils, eosinophils, and monocytes, as well as mast cells. Here, we review the composition of these extracellular DNA-containing structures as well ...

We have developed LipidGreen2, a second generation small molecule probe for lipid imaging. LipidGreen2 has a better fluorescence signal compared with the previous LipidGreen, and selectively stains neutral lipids in cells and fat deposits in live zebrafish. We also demonstrate the application of LipidGreen2 for detecting fatty liver.

Neurotoxic effects of amyloid β peptides are mediated through deregulation of intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and signaling, but relatively little is known about amyloid β modulation of Ca(2+) homeostasis and its pathological influence on glia. Here we found that amyloid β oligomers caused a cytoplasmic Ca(2+) increase in cultured astrocytes, which ...

The integrase enzyme facilitates the incorporation of HIV-1 proviral DNA into the host cell genome and catalyses a function vital to viral replication. Inhibitors of this enzyme represent the newest class of antiretroviral drugs in our armamentarium to treat HIV-1 infection. Raltegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, was the first ...

Naturally occurring plant-derived flavonoids are reported to have antibacterial, antiviral, and pharmacological activities. The objectives of this study were to determine the antiviral effects of four flavonoids (myricetin, L-epicatechin, tangeretin, and naringenin) on the infectivity of food borne norovirus surrogates after 2 h at 37 °C. The lab-culturable surrogates, feline calicivirus (FCV-F9) ...