Insomnia is one of the most prevalent health concerns in the population and in clinical practice. Clinicians may be reluctant to address insomnia because of its many potential causes, unfamiliarity with behavioral treatments, and concerns about pharmacologic treatments. To review the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of insomnia in adults. Systematic ...

1 I. 1 II. 2 III. 3 IV. 6 V. 11 11 References 11 SUMMARY: In the plant kingdom, events of whole genome duplication or polyploidization are generally believed to occur via alterations of the sexual reproduction process. Thereby, diploid pollen and eggs are formed that contain the somatic number ...

The key aspect of neonatal meningitis is related to the ability of pathogens to invade the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and to penetrate the central nervous system. In the present study we show that, in an in vitro model of BBB, on the basis of co-culturing primary bovine brain endothelial cells ...

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. To identify genetic loci that modify breast cancer risk related to MHT use in postmenopausal women, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) with replication. In stage I, we performed a case-only GWAS ...

To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and associations with clinical characteristics in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), serum 25(OH)D levels, laboratory data, and clinical data were obtained from 4,793 patients with RA (4,075 women, 718 men, mean age 59.7 years) who participated in the Institute of Rheumatology Rheumatoid ...

AIMS: Studying alcohol abuse impact, as measured by physicians' perceptions and patients' self-reports, on HIV virological rebound among patients chronically co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV). DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Seventeen French hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: 512 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) with an undetectable initial HIV viral load and ...

A visible light excitable rhodamine based probe operates as a SCN(-) selective fluorescent "turn-on" sensor for living cell imaging with a detection limit of 0.01 μM, which is much lower than the normal SCN(-) level in the human body. A "lock" and "key" model has been proposed to explain the ...

Purpose A systematic literature review was undertaken to gather evidence to develop a guideline for vocational evaluation following burn injuries (BI). This review aimed to identify the key processes evaluators should follow and the key factors they should consider when completing such evaluations. Methods Steps outlined in Cochrane Handbook of ...

Although legislation regarding organ transplantation from brain-dead donors in Japan was approved in 1997, no heart-lung transplantation procedures were performed for some time. Herein, we report the first case of successful heart-lung transplantation in Japan. The recipient was a 35-year-old man with Eisenmenger syndrome, caused by a double outlet right ...

BACKGROUND: Thymectomy is a well-established treatment for generalized myasthenia gravis in adults, but predictors of long-term efficacy and the optimum timing for intervention in juvenile myasthenia remain controversial. PURPOSE: To review the preoperative presentation, surgical experience, and long-term neuromuscular follow-up in patients undergoing thoracoscopic thymectomy in a single institution. METHODS: ...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible central visual loss in the elderly. A recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) reported that rs9621532 near the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3)/synapsin III (SYN3) region of 22q12.3 is associated with AMD. In this study, we characterize its phenotypic influence ...

PURPOSE: We designed a phase I/II trial of intraperitoneal (IP) docetaxel plus S-1 to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) and to evaluate its efficacy and safety in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). METHODS: Patients with PC confirmed by laparoscopy or laparotomy received IP ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In humans, cleft palate (CP) accounts for one of the largest number of birth defects with a complex genetic and environmental etiology. TGFbeta3 has been established as an important regulator of palatal fusion in mice and it has been shown that TGFbeta3-null mice exhibit CP without any other ...

BACKGROUND: Dyssynergic defecation (DD) results from inadequate relaxation of the pelvic floor on attempted defecation. The prevalence of DD in patients with chronic constipation (CC) is not certain. Aims of this study are to estimate the prevalence of abnormal findings associated with DD across testing modalities in patients referred for ...

Vascular injury and chronic arterial diseases result in exposure of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to increased concentrations of growth factors. The mechanisms by which growth factors trigger VSMC phenotype transitions remain unclear. Because cellular reprogramming initiated by growth factors requires not only the induction of genes involved in cell ...

Various ocular conditions which leadto vision loss in different degrees such as cataract, ischemic optic neuropathy and retinopathy are closely related to diabetes mellitus. (1-3) Diabetic patients may also suffer from transient or permanent changes in refraction. (4-5) We describe here an extreme case of transient hyperopia in a newly ...

Severe intraspecific competition for mates selects for aggressive individuals but may also lead to the evolution of alternative phenotypes that do not act aggressively, yet manage to acquire matings. The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, shows male mate-guarding behaviour and male-male combat for available females. This may provide opportunity for ...

The right ventricle (RV) is a pulsatile pump, the efficiency of which depends on proper hemodynamic coupling with the compliant pulmonary circulation. The RV and pulmonary circulation exhibit structural and functional differences with the more extensively investigated left ventricle (LV) and systemic circulation. In light of these differences, metrics of ...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Metabolic disorders are commonly investigated using knockout and transgenic mouse models. A variety of mouse strains have been used for this purpose. However, mouse strains can differ in their inherent propensities to develop metabolic disease, which may affect the experimental outcomes of metabolic studies. We have investigated strain-dependent differences ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of contrast medium dose adjustment for body surface area (BSA) compared with a fixed-dose protocol in combined positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) (PET/CT). METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients were prospectively included for (18)F-2-deoxy-fluor-glucose ((18)F-FDG)-PET/CT consisting of a non-enhanced and a venous ...

The ratio between FABP5 and CRABPII determines cellular response to physiological level of retinoic acid; tumor cells undergo proliferation with high level of FABP5 and apoptosis with high level of CRABPII. We intended to study FABP5 and CRABPII expression in craniopharyngiomas, to establish craniopharyngioma cell model using explants method, and ...

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT)-type lymphomas most commonly occur in the stomach and have been associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. However, MALT-type lymphoma of the colon is a rare entity. It commonly manifests with symptoms of weight loss, low-grade fever, constipation, melena, and hematochezia. Unlike gastric lymphoma, it is difficult to ...

BACKGROUND: Increasing birth rates have raised questions for policy makers and hospital management about the economic costs of childbirth. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to identify and review all existing scientific studies in relation to the economic costs of alternative modes of childbirth delivery and highlight deficiencies in ...

The actinobacterium Rhodococcus opacus 1CP possesses a so far unique variant of the modified 3-oxoadipate pathway for 3-chlorocatechol degradation. One important feature is the novel dehalogenase ClcF, which converts (4R,5S) 5-chloromuconolactone to E-dienelactone. ClcF is related to muconolactone isomerase (MLI, EC 5.3.3.4). The enzyme has a ferredoxin-type fold and forms ...

Detecting changes in receptor binding at the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) with the PET allosteric antagonist, [(11) C]ABP688, may be valuable for studying dysfunctional glutamate transmission associated with psychiatric illnesses. This study was designed to validate the findings of a recent pilot study in baboons which reported a significant ...

Rhipicephalus microplus is the most economically important cattle tick in the Mexican tropics. Wild ungulate species, including red deer (Cervus elaphus), are gaining popularity in diversified livestock ranching operations in Mexico. However, there is no information available on the susceptibility of red deer to infestation with the cattle tick, R. ...

The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), an inflammation-based prognostic score including C-reactive protein and albumin, shows significant prognostic value in several types of solid tumors. The prognostic value of GPS in lymphoma remains unclear. We performed this study to evaluate the prognostic significance of GPS in extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma ...

BACKGROUND: The present study was undertaken to develop an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human leukocyte antigen class II restricted epitopes to test circulating autoantibodies to CD25 as a biomarker for esophageal cancer. METHODS: A total of 97 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and 226 healthy subjects ...

Most balanced chromosomal aberrations are not associated with a clinical phenotype, however, in some patients they may disrupt gene structure. With the development of various next-generation sequencing techniques, fast and specific analyses of the breakpoint regions of chromosomal rearrangements are possible. Here, we report on a 19-year-old woman with a ...

The effects of the 4-tert-butylpyridine (TBP) additive in the electrolyte on photovoltaic performance of two push-pull porphyrin sensitizers (YD12 and YD12CN) were examined. Addition of TBP significantly increased the open-circuit voltage (V(OC)) for YD12 (from 550 to 729 mV) but it was to a lesser extent for YD12CN (from 544 ...

A clear understanding of the factors controlling the deposition behavior of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), such as quantum dots (QDs), is necessary for predicting their transport and fate in natural subsurface environments and in water filtration processes. A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was used to study the effect ...

BACKGROUND: The metabolic pathways associated with colonic motility are unknown. To identify potential metabolic targets for treatment of constipation, we examined the metabolic profile before and after a meal challenge in a cohort of children with constipation and determined its relationship with postprandial colon motility patterns. METHODS: In this prospective ...

BACKGROUND: Fellowship posts are increasingly common and offer targeted opportunities for training and personal development. Despite international demand, there is little objective information quantifying this effect or the motivations behind undertaking such a post. The present study investigated surgical trainees' fellowship aims and intentions. METHODS: An electronic, 38-item, self-administered questionnaire ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) may increase the risk of thrombotic events (TE) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) through changes induced by storage coupled with SAH-related hypercoagulability. We sought to investigate the association between RBCT and the risk of TE in patients with SAH. METHODS: 205 ...

With abundant energy levels of 4f electron configurations, trivalent lanthanide ions (Ln(3+)) are endowed with unique and fascinating luminescent properties. Inheriting the native transition behaviour of the lanthanide ions, Ln(3+) based nanomaterials have aroused great interest for a wide range of applications, including lighting and displays, optical fibers and amplifiers, ...

Ti alloys, such as Ti6Al4V, are currently used in biomedical and dental implant applications. Ti alloys are used because they are stronger than commercially pure (CP) Ti due to the presence of alloying elements. However, toxicity of alloying elements during long-term use of implants is of concern. Another means of ...

Disease management is a program which attempts to overcome the fragmentation of healthcare system and improve the quality of care. Many studies have proven the effectiveness of disease management. However, the case managers were spending the majority of time in documentation, coordinating the members of the care team. They need ...

The fluorescent probe 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) is a dye known to interact with polynucleotides in a non-univocal manner, both intercalation and minor groove binding modes being possible, and to specifically change its photophysical properties according to the different environments. To investigate this behavior, quantum-mechanical calculations using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), ...

Isochrysis is a genus of marine unicellular microalgae that produces docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6), a very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) of significant health and nutritional value. Mass cultivation of Isochrysis for DHA production for human consumption has not been established due to disappointing low DHA productivity obtained from ...

Enhanced cellular toxicity was observed using X-ray irradiated nanoparticle drug carriers (NDC) consisting of doxorubicin (DOX) conjugated to DNA strands attached to the surface of gold nanoparticles. Kinetic studies showed that X-rays, acting as a triggering modality, generated reactive oxygen species to break DNA strands and release DOX.

Thin films of gallium/antimony alloys are promising candidates for phase change memories requiring rapid crystallization at high crystallization temperatures. Prominent examples are the stoichiometric form GaSb and alloys near the eutectic composition GaSb(7), but little is known about their amorphous structures or the differences between the 'as-deposited' (AD) and 'melt-quenched' ...

Our results validate the use of independent DFT predicted BE shifts for defect identification and constraining ambient pressure XPS observations for Me-N(x) moieties in pyrolyzed carbon based ORR electrocatalysts. This supports the understanding of such catalysts as vacancy-and-substitution defects in a graphene-like matrix.

The decrease in serum zinc is linked to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation that increases the serum glucocorticoid level, indicating the importance of zinc homeostasis in physiological function. Zinc homeostasis in the brain is maintained through the blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barriers. At young age, however, the increase in zinc ...

8p21.3 deletion was recently characterized in B cell lymphoma suggesting that TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 may be the target of the deletion and act as dosage-dependent tumor suppressor genes. As multiple myeloma is a plasma cell malignancy originating from B-lineage clonogenic cells, the idea was why do not evaluate this deletion ...

The bacterium Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight, an invasive disease that threatens apple trees, pear trees and other plants of the Rosaceae family. E. amylovora pathogenicity relies on a type III secretion system and on a single effector DspA/E. This effector belongs to the widespread AvrE family of effectors whose ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to determine the etiology, management, and outcome of acute pancreatitis (AP) in children in an endemic area of hepatobiliary ascariasis (HBA). METHODS: This was a prospective, hospital-based study over a 9-year period that included 156 children younger than 12 years of age who ...

We studied how nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) regulate glutamate release in the secondary motor area (Fr2) of the dorsomedial murine prefrontal cortex, in the presence of steady agonist levels. Fr2 mediates response to behavioral situations that require immediate attention and is a candidate for generating seizures in the frontal epilepsies ...

BACKGROUND: Groin hernia has been proposed to be hereditary; however, a clear hereditary pattern has not been established yet. The purpose of this review was to analyze studies evaluating family history and inheritance patterns and to investigate the possible heredity of groin hernias. METHODS: A literature search in the MEDLINE ...

Cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency is a common cause of megaloblastic anemia in Western populations. Laboratory evaluation of megaloblastic anemia frequently includes assessment of patient cobalamin and folate status. Current total serum cobalamin measurements are performed in the clinical laboratory with competitive binding luminescence assays, whose results may not always accurately ...

Abstract This study assessed the bioavailability, toxicity and transfer of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in comparison with AgNO3 in two model food chain organisms; the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the grazing crustacean Daphnia magna. The effects of phosphate, a potential Ag+ binding ligand and a determinant of phytoplankton productivity, were evaluated. ...