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Retriever6300 | Commentary on 'Communicating Messages About Drinking': Using the 'Big Legal Guns' to Block Alcohol Health Warning Labels.
Like the tobacco industry, the alcohol industry, with the support of governments in alcohol exporting nations, is looking to international trade and investment law as a means to oppose health warning labels on alcohol. The threat of such litigation, let alone its commencement, has the potential to deter all but the most resolute governments from implementing health warning labeling. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6301 | Interference by a phenylacetate pathway in isotopic assays for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in leaf extracts.
Particulate and soluble fractions from leaves of Sorghum, Spinacia (spinach), and Coleus, capable of metabolizing l-phenylalanine to cinnamate or to caffeate, are also able to convert l-and d-phenylalanine to phenylacetate. Since cinnamate and phenylacetate are not effectively separated in commonly used chromatographic solvents, some of the isotropic assays used for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase are rendered ambiguous by the interference of this second pathway. Therefore, a "double decker," two-dimensional paper chromatographic method was designed to separate cinnamate and phenylacetate. This was combined with the use of phenylalanine labeled randomly or just in either the carbon 1 or 2 position of the side chain. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6302 | Fat emulsion infusion potentiates coagulation activation during human endotoxemia.
Intravenous fat emulsions are frequently given to malnourished patients who are prone to suffer from infectious complications. As injection of low dose endotoxin represents a model to study the human response to acute infection, we sought to determine the effect of lipid emulsion infusion on endotoxin-induced activation of the hemostatic mechanism in man. Ten healthy men received a bolus intravenous injection of endotoxin (lot EC-5; 20 U/kg) midway through a 4-h infusion (125 ml/h) of either dextrose 5% (n = 5) or Intralipid 20% (n = 5). Lipid infusion potentiated endotoxin-induced coagulation activation, as indicated by higher plasma levels of the prothrombin fragment F1 + 2 and of thrombin-antithrombin III complexes (both p < 0.05 for the difference between groups). However, lipid infusion did not influence the fibrinolytic response to intravenous endotoxin, as reflected by similar increases in the levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes in both groups. Endotoxin-induced appearance of plasminogen activator inhibitor type I was enhanced by lipid infusion (p < 0.05). These data suggest that fat emulsion infusion may enhance the tendency towards thrombotic complications in patients with infections. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6303 | Discrimination of Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense from Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus in clinical isolates by multiplex PCR.
The rapidly growing mycobacterium M. abscessus sensu lato is the causative agent of emerging pulmonary and skin diseases and of infections following cosmetic surgery and postsurgical procedures. M. abscessus sensu lato can be divided into at least three subspecies: M. abscessus subsp. abscessus, M. abscessus subsp. massiliense, and M. abscessus subsp. bolletii. Clinical isolates of rapidly growing mycobacteria were previously identified as M. abscessus by DNA-DNA hybridization. More than 30% of these 117 clinical isolates were differentiated as M. abscessus subsp. massiliense using combinations of multilocus genotyping analyses. A much more cost-effective technique to distinguish M. abscessus subsp. massiliense from M. abscessus subsp. abscessus, a multiplex PCR assay, was developed using the whole-genome sequence of M. abscessus subsp. massiliense JCM15300 as a reference. Several primer sets were designed for single PCR to discriminate between the strains based on amplicons of different sizes. Two of these single-PCR target sites were chosen for development of the multiplex PCR assay. Multiplex PCR was successful in distinguishing clinical isolates of M. abscessus subsp. massiliense from samples previously identified as M. abscessus. This approach, which spans whole-genome sequencing and clinical diagnosis, will facilitate the acquisition of more-precise information about bacterial genomes, aid in the choice of more relevant therapies, and promote the advancement of novel discrimination and differential diagnostic assays. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6304 | "I Want to Keep the Personal Relationship With My Doctor": Understanding Barriers to Portal Use among African Americans and Latinos.
BACKGROUND
Despite the widespread implementation of electronic health records (EHRs), there is growing evidence that racial/ethnic minority patients do not use portals as frequently as non-Hispanic whites to access their EHR information online. This differential portal use could be problematic for health care disparities since early evidence links portal use to better outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to understand specific barriers to portal use among African American and Latino patients at Kaiser Permanente, which has had a portal in place for over a decade, and broad uptake among the patient population at large.
METHODS
We conducted 10 focus groups with 87 participants in 2012 and 2013 among African American and Latino Kaiser Permanente members in the mid-Atlantic, Georgia, and Southern California regions. Members were eligible to participate if they were not registered for portal access. Focus groups were conducted within each racial/ethnic group, and each included individuals who were older, had a chronic disease, or were parents (as these are the three biggest users of the portal at Kaiser Permanente overall). We videotaped each focus group and transcribed the discussion for analysis. We used general inductive coding to develop themes for major barriers to portal use, overall and separately by racial/ethnic group.
RESULTS
We found that lack of support was a key barrier to initiating portal use in our sample-both in terms of technical assistance as well as the fear of the portal eroding existing personal relationships with health care providers. This held true across a range of focus groups representing a mix of age, income, health conditions, and geographic regions.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study was among the first qualitative explorations of barriers to portal use among racial/ethnic subgroups. Our findings suggest that uniform adoption of portal use across diverse patient groups requires more usable and personalized websites, which may be particularly important for reducing health care disparities. This work is particularly important as all health care systems continue to offer and promote more health care features online via portals. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6305 | Coexistence of coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes.
There is a selective review of the literature concerning the coexistence of coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus. This review focuses on the principles of serological tests towards coeliac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and metabolic control measures as a result of a gluten-free diet. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6306 | Inhibition of HMGB1 improves necrotizing enterocolitis by inhibiting NLRP3 via TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship between high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and NLR pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) in the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
METHODS
NEC rat models were constructed and treated with HMGB1 inhibitor glycyrrhizin (GL) with different concentration. An inflammatory condition of intestinal tissue in newborn NEC rats was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of HMGB1, NLRP3, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and caspase 1 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. The content of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Human intestinal epithelial cell lines were induced to NEC by lipopolysaccharides (LPSs). LPS-induced cells were transfected with small interfering RNA-HMGB1 and NLRP3 plasmid vector. The mRNA and protein expression of HMGB1, NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, caspase 1, IL-1β, and TNF-α were determined by real-time PCR and western blot analysis, respectively.
RESULTS
The mRNA and protein expression of HMGB1 and NLRP3 in the NEC group was significantly higher than the control group. Inhibition of HMGB1 expression improved intestinal inflammation in newborn NEC rats. The expression of HMGB1, NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, and caspase 1 was upregulated in NEC and was weakened after treating with GL. LPS induction to intestinal epithelial cells markedly increased the expression of HMGB1, NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, caspase 1, IL-1β, and TNF-α. The knockdown of HMGB1 abolished the increase of expression, whereas further transfection with NLRP3 plasmid vector recovered the increase.
CONCLUSION
HMGB1 and NLRP3 were all upregulated in the development of NEC. Inhibition on HMGB1 could improve the intestinal inflammation in NEC by inhibiting NLRP3 via TLR4 and NF-κB signaling pathways. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6307 | Report of an uncommon cluster of septic arthritis of the hip in premature newborns: three cases in a period of 3 months.
We report an uncommon cluster of this rare condition which occurred within a very short period of time in our unit. We reviewed the current literature and observed that the diagnosis is often delayed, which can have very serious consequences for the outcome. Our 3 patients have had an uncomplicated course so far and follow-up examination at almost one year was normal. A high index of suspicion for the diagnosis and early and aggressive treatment is necessary. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6308 | Home Care Aide Safety Concerns and Job Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Home care aides are on the frontlines providing care to vulnerable individuals in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic yet are often excluded from policies to protect health care workers. The goal of this study was to examine experiences of agency-employed home care aides during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify ways to mitigate concerns. We used an innovative journaling approach with thirty-seven aides as well as in-depth interviews with fifteen aides and leadership representatives from nine home health agencies in New York and Michigan. Workers described a range of concerns around workplace safety including uncertainty around whether a client had COVID-19, inadequate access to personal protective equipment and safe transportation, as well as fundamental changes to interactions with clients. Agencies also faced challenges acquiring personal protective equipment for their aides. This research points to needed resources to support home care aides and home health agencies both during a public health crisis and in the future. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6309 | A method for the preparation of curcumin by ultrasonic-assisted ammonium sulfate/ethanol aqueous two phase extraction.
This study investigated a new and easy-to-industrialized extracting method for curcumin from Curcuma longa rhizomes using ultrasonic extraction technology combined with ammonium sulfate/ethanol aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), and the preparation of curcumin using the semi-preparative HPLC. The single-factor experiments and response surface methodology (RSM) were utilized to determine the optimal material-solvent ratio, ultrasonic intensity (UI) and ultrasonic time. The optimum extraction conditions were finally determined to be material-solvent rate of 3.29:100, ultrasonic intensity of 33.63W/cm2 and ultrasonic time of 17min. At these optimum conditions, the extraction yield could reach 46.91mg/g. And the extraction yields of curcumin remained stable in the case of amplification, which indicated that scale-up extraction was feasible and efficient. Afterwards, the semi-preparative HPLC experiment was carried out, in which optimal preparation conditions were elected according to the single factor experiment. The prepared curcumin was obtained and the purity could up to 85.58% by the semi-preparative HPLC. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6310 | Neuro-invasion by a 'Trojan Horse' strategy and vasculopathy during intrauterine flavivirus infection.
The central nervous system (CNS) is a major target of several important human and animal viral pathogens causing congenital infections. However, despite the importance of neuropathological outcomes, for humans in particular, the pathogenesis, including mode of neuro-invasion, remains unresolved for most congenital virus infections. Using a natural model of congenital infection with an RNA virus, bovine viral diarrhoea virus in pregnant cattle, we sought to delineate the timing and mode of virus neuro-invasion of and spread within the brain of foetuses following experimental respiratory tract infection of the dams at day 75 of pregnancy, a time of maximal risk of tissue pathology without foetal death. Virus antigen was first detected in the foetal brains 14 days postinfection of dams and was initially restricted to amoeboid microglial cells in the periventricular germinal layer. The appearance of these cells was preceded by or concurrent with vasculopathy in the same region. While the affected microvessels were negative for virus antigen, they expressed high levels of the type I interferon-stimulated protein ISG15 and eventually disappeared in parallel with the appearance of microcavitary lesions. Subsequently, the virus spread to neurons and other glial cells. Our findings suggest that the virus enters the CNS via infected microglial precursors, the amoeboid microglial cells, in a 'Trojan horse' mode of invasion and that the microcavitary lesions are associated with loss of periventricular microvasculature, perhaps as a consequence of high, unrestricted induction of interferon-regulated proteins. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6311 | Juvenile rhesus monkeys have lower type 2 cytokine responses than adults after primary infection with Schistosoma mansoni.
Adults and children have differences in their susceptibility to schistosomiasis. The relative influences of age-dependent innate resistance and acquired immunity in the differences between susceptibility to schistosomiasis are difficult to assess in humans. Therefore, we exposed juvenile and adult female rhesus monkeys to primary infection with Schistosoma mansoni. In contrast to the adult animals, the juvenile rhesus monkeys had low levels of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells after schistosome infection, as well as lower levels of parasite-antigen-specific antibody (IgG, IgM, and IgA) responses, and produced limited antigen-specific or total IgE. Juvenile animals had statistically nonsignificant increased worm burdens and tissue or fecal egg counts, compared with that of adults, whereas circulating schistosome antigens were significantly higher in infected juvenile monkeys. These results suggest that juvenile rhesus monkeys have reduced type 2 cytokine responses after primary schistosome infections and perhaps are more susceptible to parasite infection. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6312 | Visual search of expansion and contraction.
The perception of expansion/contraction in human subjects was examined with a visual search paradigm. When searching for a target defined by two-dimensional expansion among distractors defined by two-dimensional contraction, the time needed to find the target did not vary as the number of distractors was increased. However, for a target defined by two-dimensional contraction among distractors defined by two-dimensional expansion, the search time increased as a function of the number of distractors in the display. A similar search asymmetry remained between one-dimensional expansion and one-dimensional contraction, even though one-dimensional expansion was searched in a serial manner. This asymmetry between expansion and contraction reflects a basic characteristic of higher-order motion information processing. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6313 | Regulation of Numb during planar cell polarity establishment in the Drosophila eye.
The establishment of planar cell polarity (PCP) in the Drosophila eye requires correct specification of the R3/R4 pair of photoreceptor cells, determined by a Frizzled mediated signaling event that specifies R3 and induces Delta to activate Notch signaling in the neighboring cell, specifying it as R4. Here, we investigated the role of the Notch signaling negative regulator Numb in the specification of R3/R4 fates and PCP establishment in the Drosophila eye. We observed that Numb is transiently upregulated in R3 at the time of R3/R4 specification. This regulation of Numb levels in developing photoreceptors occurs at the post-transcriptional level and is dependent on Dishevelled, an effector of Frizzled signaling, and Lethal Giant Larva. We detected PCP defects in cells homozygous for numb15, but these defects were due to a loss of function mutation in fat (fatQ805⁎) being present in the numb15 chromosome. However, mosaic overexpression of Numb in R4 precursors (only) caused PCP defects and numb loss-of-function alleles had a modifying effect on the defects found in a hypomorphic dishevelled mutation. Our results suggest that Numb levels are upregulated to reinforce the bias of Notch signaling activation in the R3/R4 pair, two post-mitotic cells that are not specified by asymmetric cell division. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6314 | Gastrointestinal motility and gastric emptying after Billroth II gastrectomy in dogs.
This study was undertaken to compare the effects of subtotal Billroth II gastrectomy on gastric emptying and gastrointestinal motility with previously published results in intact dogs and in dogs with subtotal Roux-Y gastrectomy. Extraluminal strain gauge transducers were used to study gastrointestinal motility after Billroth II gastrectomy in four conscious dogs. Gastric emptying was measured radiographically. In Billroth II dogs gastric emptying of low-viscosity meals was biphasic with an initial rapid emptying. The addition of nutrients to low-viscosity meals delayed gastric emptying accompanied with reduction in gastric and jejunal motility. Similar to that in Roux-Y dogs, gastric emptying of noncaloric medium-viscosity meals was delayed because of segmenting motor patterns of the jejunal loops, in contrast to the propulsive jejunal motor pattern in intact dogs. Nutrients added to medium-viscosity meals did not change the jejunal motor pattern; gastric emptying was delayed compared with intact dogs. Results show that meal viscosity and jejunal motor pattern influence gastric emptying after Billroth II gastrectomy. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6315 | Evaluating the beam quality of double-cladding fiber lasers in applications.
We put forward a new β<sub>FL</sub> factor, which is used exclusively in fiber lasers and is suitable to assess beam quality and choose the LP<sub>01</sub> mode as the new suitable ideal beam. We present a new simple measurement method and verify the reasonability of the β<sub>FL</sub> factor in experiment in a 20/400 μm fiber laser. Furthermore, we use the β<sub>FL</sub> factor to evaluate the beam quality of a 3-kW-level fiber laser. It can be concluded that β<sub>FL</sub> is a key factor not only for assessing the performance of the high-power fiber laser that is our main focus, but also for the simple measurement. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6316 | Production and purification of recombinant African swine fever virus attachment protein p12.
The conditions for cultivation of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells for production of recombinant baculoviruses have been studied, to scale-up and improve the efficiency of the process for production of the African swine fever virus attachment protein p12 in the baculovirus expression system. It was shown that the total virus and recombinant protein production in insect cells infected with the Acp12 recombinant baculovirus were slightly dependent on cell density, but largely dependent on the serum concentration, in the case of suspended cells, but not in static monolayer cultures. The yield of recombinant protein p12 exceeded 50 mg per 1 of 2 x 10(9) cells, representing more than 10% of total cell proteins, a level > 20-fold higher than that observed with other eukaryotic expression systems. The presence of p12 in the cytoplasmic fraction of infected cells has allowed the purification of the protein by a simple two-step procedure of aqueous phase partition and octyl-glucoside solubilization. The recombinant protein p12 was able to inhibit, in a dose-dependent manner, the African swine fever virus production in swine macrophages infected with a number of different virus isolates, including attenuated, virulent, highly passaged on tissue culture, and non-haemadsorbing strains, indicating a fundamental role for p12 in the early interaction of the virus with the natural target cell receptors. However, pigs immunized with purified recombinant p12 did not develop protective immunity against African swine fever. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6317 | Direct coarse sampling of electronic holograms.
We describe a series of experiments in order to test a new sampling criterion for wavefront reconstruction from a carrier-frequency signal as obtained in electronic holography. Both a Fourier-transform configuration and a Fresnel-zone form of a digital holographic microscope are described. Direct coarse sampling of holograms with no phase-shifting elements can be used to obtain wavefront reconstruction, with the number of samples required reduced by the ratio f0/(2Bs), where f0 is the carrier frequency and 2Bs is the signal bandwidth. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6318 | Correction and optimization of symmetric echo-planar spectroscopic imaging for hyperpolarized [1-13C]-pyruvate.
Symmetric echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) supports higher spectral bandwidth and improves signal-to-noise efficiency compared to flyback EPSI with the same readout bandwidth, but suffers from artifacts that are associated with non-uniform temporal sampling in k-t space. Our goal is to eliminate these artifacts and enhance observation of hyperpolarized [1-13C] pyruvate and its metabolites using symmetric EPSI. We used symmetric EPSI to efficiently acquire radially encoded spectroscopic imaging projections with a spectral under-sampling scheme that was optimized for HP pyruvate and its metabolites. A simple approach called selective correction of off-resonance effects (SCORE) was developed and applied to eliminate spectral artifacts. Simulations were used to assess the relative SNR performance of this technique, and a phantom study was carried out at 3 T to evaluate this method and compare it with alternative strategies. SCORE correction eliminated spectral artifacts due to chemical shift and non-uniform sampling in time. It is also compatible with established methods to eliminate artifacts caused by eddy currents. SCORE corrected symmetric EPSI supported maximal EPSI spectral bandwidth and improved SNR efficiency. Symmetric EPSI with SCORE correction offers a straightforward, efficient, and effective framework for assessment of hyperpolarized [1-13C] pyruvate and its metabolites. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6319 | Multivariate classification of drug-naive obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and healthy controls by applying an SVM to resting-state functional MRI data.
BACKGROUND
Previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies have revealed intrinsic regional activity alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but those results were based on group analyses, which limits their applicability to clinical diagnosis and treatment at the level of the individual.
METHODS
We examined fractional amplitude low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and applied support vector machine (SVM) to discriminate OCD patients from healthy controls on the basis of rs-fMRI data. Values of fALFF, calculated from 68 drug-naive OCD patients and 68 demographically matched healthy controls, served as input features for the classification procedure.
RESULTS
The classifier achieved 72% accuracy (p ≤ 0.001). This discrimination was based on regions that included the left superior temporal gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus, the left supramarginal gyrus and the superior parietal lobule.
CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that OCD-related abnormalities in temporal and parietal lobe activation have predictive power for group membership; furthermore, the findings suggest that machine learning techniques can be used to aid in the identification of individuals with OCD in clinical diagnosis. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6320 | Neurotransmission by ATP: new insights, novel mechanisms.
Purines have long been known for their roles in extracellular signaling. One of the most interesting functions to come to light recently has been the involvement, particularly of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), as a neurotransmitter in the central and the sympathetic nervous system. ATP is stored in and released from synaptic nerve terminals, like other neurotransmitters, and is known to act post-synaptically via specific rapidly-conducting, ligand-gated ion channels, the P2x receptors. Another interesting feature is the discovery that ATP is widely found to be a "co-transmitter" at the same synapses in combination with other neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline, acetylcholine, and GABA, altering our picture of the biophysics and biochemistry of neurotransmission at these synapses. We describe here these and other aspects of neurotransmission by ATP being investigated vigorously today, including recent findings on P2x receptors and those on the synaptic inactivation of ATP by ecto-ATPase. We conclude by pointing out possible pharmacological and clinical implications of neurotransmission by ATP. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6321 | Exploring dynamic functional connectivity alterations in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease: an exploratory study from SILCODE.
Objective.Exploring functional connectivity (FC) alterations is important for the understanding of underlying neuronal network alterations in subjective cognitive decline (SCD). The objective of this study was to prove that dynamic FC can better reflect the changes of brain function in individuals with SCD compared to static FC, and further to explore the association between FC alterations and amyloid pathology in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease.Approach.A total of 101 normal control (NC) subjects, 97 SCDs, and 55 cognitive impairment (CI) subjects constituted the whole-cohort. Of these, 29 NCs and 52 SCDs with amyloid images were selected as the sub-cohort. First, independent components (ICs) were identified by IC analysis and static and dynamic FC were calculated by pairwise correlation coefficient between ICs. Second, FC alterations were identified through group comparison, and seed-based dynamic FC analysis was done. Analysis of variance was used to compare the seed-based dynamic FC maps and measure the group or amyloid effects. Finally, correlation analysis was conducted between the altered dynamic FC and amyloid burden.Main results.The results showed that 42 ICs were revealed. Significantly altered dynamic FC included those between the salience/ventral attention network, the default mode network, and the visual network. Specifically, the thalamus/caudate (IC 25) drove the hub role in the group differences. In the seed-based dynamic FC analysis, the dynamic FC between the thalamus/caudate and the middle temporal/frontal gyrus was observed to be higher in the SCD and CI groups. Moreover, a higher dynamic FC between the thalamus/caudate and visual cortex was observed in the amyloid positive group. Finally, the altered dynamic FC was associated with the amyloid global standardized uptake value ratio (SUVr).Significance.Our findings suggest SCD-related alterations could be more reflected by dynamic FC than static FC, and the alterations are associated with global SUVr. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6322 | Free and total digoxin in serum during treatment of acute digoxin poisoning with Fab fragments: case study.
A woman ingested 10 mg of methyldigoxin in a suicide attempt and presented 19 hours after ingestion with clinical signs of glycoside intoxication. Her serum level of digoxin was 7.4 ng/mL, and antidotal therapy with Fab antibody fragments was started. The manufacturer's recommended dosing scheme was modified, with 80 mg Fab administered intravenously within 15 minutes followed by a continuous infusion at 30 mg/h. Total serum concentration of digoxin increased markedly within minutes after Fab therapy was started, while the level of free digoxin immediately decreased into the nontoxic range without recrudescent toxic effects of digoxin. The cumulative amounts of free and bound digoxin that were excreted in urine within 30 hours after ingestion were 900 microg and 1600 microg, respectively. Half-life of bound digoxin in urine was 9.9 hours; mean rate of clearance of bound digoxin in the urine was 7.0 mL/min. On the basis of these kinetic data, a smaller initial bolus dose of Fab followed by a continuous infusion may be a more tailored, cost-effective, and relatively safe therapy for patients who have overdosed on cardiac glycosides. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6323 | Phasing segmented mirrors: a modification of the Keck narrow-band technique and its application to extremely large telescopes.
Future telescopes with diameters greater than 10 m, usually referred to as extremely large telescopes (ELTs), will employ segmented mirrors made up of hundreds or even thousands of segments, with tight constraints on the piston errors between individual segments. The 10-m Keck telescopes are routinely phased with the narrow-band phasing technique. This is a variation of the Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor in which the signal is the correlation between individual subimages and simulated images. We have investigated the applicability of this technique to ELTs, and in the process we have developed what to our knowledge is a new algorithm in which each subimage provides on its own a piston-dependent value. We also discuss an alternative algorithm to resolve the lambda ambiguity that allows detection of problematic cases, and a modification of the singular-value-decomposition procedure used to phase the whole mirror, using weightings on individual measurement errors. By means of simulations we show that the modified technique shows improved performance and that it can work with sufficient precision on telescopes as large as 100 m. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6324 | Diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin (DCLHb) in the treatment of severe traumatic hemorrhagic shock: a randomized controlled efficacy trial.
CONTEXT
Severe, uncompensated, traumatic hemorrhagic shock causes significant morbidity and mortality, but resuscitation with an oxygen-carrying fluid might improve patient outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if the infusion of up to 1000 mL of diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin (DCLHb) during the initial hospital resuscitation could reduce 28-day mortality in traumatic hemorrhagic shock patients.
DESIGN AND SETTING
Multicenter, randomized, controlled, single-blinded efficacy trial conducted between February 1997 and January 1998 at 18 US trauma centers selected for their high volume of critically injured trauma patients, but 1 did not enroll patients.
PATIENTS
A total of 112 patients with traumatic hemorrhagic shock and unstable vital signs or a critical base deficit, who had a mean (SD) patient age of 39 (20) years. Of the infused patients, 79% were male and 56% were white. An exception to informed consent was used when necessary.
INTERVENTION
All patients were to be infused with 500 mL of DCLHb or saline solution. Critically ill patients who still met entry criteria could have received up to an additional 500 mL during the 1-hour infusion period.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Twenty-eight day mortality, 28-day morbidity, 48-hour mortality, and 24-hour lactate levels.
RESULTS
Of the 112 patients, 98 (88%) were infused with DCLHb or saline solution. At 28 days, 24 (46%) of the 52 patients infused with DCLHb died, and 8 (17%) of the 46 patients infused with the saline solution died (P = .003). At 48 hours, 20 (38%) of the 52 patients infused with DCLHb died and 7 (15%) of the 46 patients infused with the saline solution died (P = .01). The 28-day morbidity rate, as measured by the multiple organ dysfunction score, was 72% higher in the DCLHb group (P = .03). There was no difference in adverse event rates or the 24-hour lactate levels.
CONCLUSIONS
Mortality was higher for patients treated with DCLHb. Although further analysis should investigate whether the mortality difference was solely due to a direct treatment effect or to other factors, DCLHb does not appear to be an effective resuscitation fluid. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6325 | Early changes in plasma DNA levels of mutant KRAS as a sensitive marker of response to chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer (PDAC) is still lacking of reliable markers to monitor tumor response. CA 19-9 is the only biomarker approved, despite it has several limitations in sensitivity and specificity. Since mutations of KRAS occur in more than 90% of tumors, its detection in circulating free tumor DNA (cftDNA) could represent a biomarker to monitor chemotherapy response. Twenty-seven advanced PDAC patients given first-line 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin or gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel were enrolled. Three ml of plasma were collected: 1) before starting chemotherapy (baseline); 2) at day 15 of treatment; and 3) at each clinical follow-up. cftDNA was extracted and analysed for KRAS mutations (mutKRAS) by digital droplet PCR. Nineteen patients displayed a mutKRAS in baseline plasma samples. There was a statistically significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with increase vs. stability/reduction of cftDNA in the sample collected at day 15 (median PFS 2.5 vs 7.5 months, p = 0.03; median OS 6.5 vs 11.5 months, p = 0.009). The results of this study demonstrate that cftDNA mutKRAS changes are associated with tumor response to chemotherapy and support the evidence that mutKRAS in plasma may be used as a new marker for monitoring treatment outcome and disease progression in PDAC. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6326 | Method for estimating the temperature distribution associated with the vessel cooling effect in radio frequency ablation.
Recently, radio frequency ablation (RFA) has become one of the most popular thermal treatments for liver cancer. RFA is minimally invasive and effective in inducing tumor coagulation, however, because use the procedure depends on the experience of the physician, consistent accuracy cannot be guaranteed. In particular, when the tumor is close to a large vessel, a suboptimal ablation margin can result in tumor recurrence. To improve the accuracy of RFA treatment, we have developed an RFA supporting system, which was constructed by using finite element method and operated by means of a model-based control method. In this study, we focused on the cooling effect of flow volume inside a large vessel during RFA, and analyzed heat transfer between the large vessel and liver tissue using a model. We derived the heat transfer parameter (the Nusselt number (Nu)) between the large vessel and liver tissue during RFA by using a finite-element method (FEM). When the Nu for FEM analysis had a value of 3, the FEM analysis model was representative of the actual ablation objective, and the maximum error between FEM analysis and the measurement results was within 2.0[°C]. Thus, it was suggested that the Nu was effective for FEM analysis regarding heat transfer between a large vessel and tissue. However, according to the differences between the results of FEM analysis and measurements concerning the three livers, the heat transfer volume was determined by the Nu, which is different individually in common with other thermal properties. In conclusion, it is necessary to consider the individual differences in the heat transfer volume parameter for FEM analysis. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6327 | Effect of fatty acyl domain of phospholipids on the membrane-channel formation of Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin in liposome membrane.
By use of carboxyfluorescein-loaded multilamellar liposomes prepared from synthetic phosphatidylcholine (PC) or sphingomyelin and cholesterol in a molar ratio of 1:1, we studied whether or not fatty acyl domain of the phospholipids affects the membrane-damaging action (or channel formation) of Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin on the phospholipid-cholesterol membranes. Our data indicated: (1) that toxin-induced carboxyfluorescein-leakage from the liposomes composed of saturated fatty acyl residue-carrying PC and cholesterol was decreased with increasing chain length of the acyl residues between 12 and 18 carbon atoms, although toxin-binding to the liposomes was not significantly affected by the length of fatty acyl residue; (2) that unsaturated fatty acyl residue in PC or sphingomyelin molecule conferred higher sensitivity to alpha-toxin on the phospholipid-cholesterol liposomes, compared with saturated fatty acyl residues; and (3) that hexamerization of alpha-toxin, estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, occurred more efficiently on the liposomes composed of PC with shorter fatty acyl chain or unsaturated fatty acyl chain. Thus, hydrophobic domain of the phospholipids influences membrane-channel formation of alpha-toxin in the phospholipid-cholesterol membrane, perhaps by modulating packing of phospholipid, cholesterol and the toxin in membrane. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6328 | One-angle fluorescence tomography with in-and-out motion.
The usual tomography is achieved by acquiring measurements around an object with multiple angles. The possibility of obtaining a fluorescence tomographic image from measurements at only one angle is explored. Instead of rotating around the object, the camera (or the objective lens) moves toward (or away from) the object and takes photographs while the camera's focal plane passes through the object. The volume of stacked two-dimensional pictures forms a blurred three-dimensional image. The true image can be obtained by deconvolving the system's point spread function. Simplified computer simulations are carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed method. The computer simulations indicate that it is feasible to obtain a tomographic image by using the in-and-out motion to acquire data. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6329 | HER3 signaling and targeted therapy in cancer.
ERBB family members including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) also known as HER1, ERBB2/HER2/Neu, ERBB3/HER3 and ERBB4/HER4 are aberrantly activated in multiple cancers and hence serve as drug targets and biomarkers in modern precision therapy. The therapeutic potential of HER3 has long been underappreciated, due to impaired kinase activity and relatively low expression in tumors. However, HER3 has received attention in recent years as it is a crucial heterodimeric partner for other EGFR family members and has the potential to regulate EGFR/HER2-mediated resistance. Upregulation of HER3 is associated with several malignancies where it fosters tumor progression via interaction with different receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Studies also implicate HER3 contributing significantly to treatment failure, mostly through the activation of PI3K/AKT, MAPK/ERK and JAK/STAT pathways. Moreover, activating mutations in HER3 have highlighted the role of HER3 as a direct therapeutic target. Therapeutic targeting of HER3 includes abrogating its dimerization partners' kinase activity using small molecule inhibitors (lapatinib, erlotinib, gefitinib, afatinib, neratinib) or direct targeting of its extracellular domain. In this review, we focus on HER3-mediated signaling, its role in drug resistance and discuss the latest advances to overcome resistance by targeting HER3 using mono- and bispecific antibodies and small molecule inhibitors. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6330 | Fluorescence study of the influence of centrifugation on graphene oxide dispersions in water and in tannic acid.
Graphene oxide (GO) is acquiring a great interest in biomedicine, biotechnology and biochemistry due to its unique properties. However, GO layers are boundbyvan der Waals forces, which results in aggregation. An efficient dispersion of the aggregated nanostructures is crucial from an application viewpoint, hence eco-friendly procedures are pursued. In this work, the potential of tannic acid (TA) as a GO dispersant in water has been investigated for the first time. Transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) was used to visualize the degree of GO exfoliation in the dispersions. To further assess TA dispersant capability, a fluorescent biomolecule, riboflavin, has been selected. GO and TA cause a quenching effect on riboflavin fluorescence, which depends on the GO and TA concentration, the GO/TA weight ratio and the final centrifugation step that was found to be crucial. Multiple regression analysis has been used to determine the quenching constants for TA and GO simultaneously. The GO-riboflavin interaction weakens upon centrifugation. This step, traditionally used to remove the nanomaterial aggregates, should be avoided to obtain a high GO concentration in the dispersions. This study paves the way towards the use of environmentally friendly dispersant agents instead of conventional organic solvents or synthetic surfactants to attain high-quality dispersions of carbon nanomaterials in water. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6331 | Use of a radiopaque localizer grid and methylene blue staining as an aid to reduce radiation exposure.
BACKGROUND
Localization of small femur lesions for resection can be challenging and may be associated with the need for significant fluoroscopic imaging and tissue dissection. This study was performed to evaluate the use of a radiopaque localizer grid along with methylene blue staining for resection of small femur lesions in children, and to determine the effectiveness of this effectiveness at reducing radiation exposure and tissue injury.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A radiopaque localizer grid was used to identify the body surface site of bone lesions, and then 0.02-0.03 mL of methylene blue was injected into the bone lesions. After skin incision, the blue bone tissue was found and complete lesion resection performed.
RESULTS
A radiopaque localizer grid was utilized to plan the point of entry for lesion resection. The average operation time was shorter, and the C-arm was used less frequently, and the incision length was shorter in the grid and methylene blue group compared with the control group.
CONCLUSION
A radiopaque localizer grid is a simple and practical device for efficient localization of the skin entry site, and methylene blue accurately pinpoints bone lesions, reducing radiation exposure and tissue injury. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6332 | Invited review: crossbreeding in dairy cattle: a Danish perspective.
The value of crossbreeding in livestock species has been known for a long time; it has been used heavily within beef cattle, pig, and poultry production systems for several decades. This has not been the case for dairy production but lately there has been increased interest in crossbreeding dairy breeds. This review focuses on the practical and theoretical background of crossbreeding and describes the gain to be expected using systematic crossbreeding in dairy production. In Denmark, 24% of dairy farmers would consider starting crossbreeding programs within their herd. Evidence for the value of crossbreeding is documented with special emphasis on results from a Danish crossbreeding experiment. This experiment included 1,680 cows from 3 breeds and their crosses. In general, at least 10% heterosis can be expected for total merit, mainly due to increased longevity and improvement of functional traits. A minor part of heterosis for total merit is due to heterosis for production traits. For production, there is evidence of recombination loss using continued crossbreeding programs, which does not seem to be the case for longevity and total merit. However, recombination loss should be investigated more carefully as crossbreeding is becoming more popular. A prerequisite for crossbreeding to be beneficial on a long-term basis is that genetic gain within the parental breeds not be reduced. As long as the crossbred cow population constitutes less than 50% of the whole population, and young bulls can be tested through crossbred offspring, this prerequisite can be fulfilled. Crossbreeding can increase dairy income substantially, especially in management systems requiring a high level of functional traits. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6333 | [Functional state of the cerebral cortex and midbrain reticular formation during traumatic shock].
Acute experiments on cats were carried out during traumatic shock to study evoked potentials in the sensorimotor cortex and reticular formation (RF) of the midbrain in response to electrodermal irritation of the contralateral paw. The cortical function was judged by thresholds of convulsant reaction while function of RF by thresholds of activation reaction in the cortex of the course of high-frequency electrical stimulation of the structures under study. It was shown that in traumatic shock, initial and pronounced depression of the cortical function paralleled long enough stability of RF functional activity. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6334 | Aging in vitro and large-scale interferon production by 15 new strains of human diploid fibroblasts.
To develop resources for large-scale production of human fibroblast interferon, we isolated, cryopreserved, and characterized 15 new strains of human diploid foreskin fibroblasts. Their life spans in vitro ranged from 52 to 72 population doublings. We based the selection of cell strains for mass interferon production on the number of population doublings during which consistently high yields of interferon were obtained after "superinduction" in roller bottles; our data show that aging in vitro leads to significant decline in amounts of interferon produced. In contrast, susceptibility to interferon remains largely unaffected by in vitro senescence. Karyotypic analysis indicated that the best interferon-producing strain, MLD (over 60,000 reference units/ml), has a translocation between chromosomes 5 and 15. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6335 | Biosensing by WGM Microspherical Resonators.
Whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonators, thanks to their unique properties, have allowed researchers to achieve important results in both fundamental research and engineering applications. Among the various geometries, microspheres are the simplest 3D WGM resonators; the total optical loss in such resonators can be extremely low, and the resulting extraordinarily high Q values of 10⁸-10⁸ lead to high energy density, narrow resonant-wavelength lines and a lengthy cavity ringdown. They can also be coated in order to better control their properties or to increase their functionality. Their very high sensitivity to changes in the surrounding medium has been exploited for several sensing applications: protein adsorption, trace gas detection, impurity detection in liquids, structural health monitoring of composite materials, detection of electric fields, pressure sensing, and so on. In the present paper, after a general introduction to WGM resonators, attention is focused on spherical microresonators, either in bulk or in bubble format, to their fabrication, characterization and functionalization. The state of the art in the area of biosensing is presented, and the perspectives of further developments are discussed. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6336 | CHANGES IN BACTERIAL VOLUME AS THE RESULT OF SPECIFIC AGGLUTINATION.
Measurements indicate that bacterial antigens increase in volume as the result of specific agglutination. There is a general parallelism between the increase in antigenic volume and the concentration of the immune serum. The phenomenon is specific. There is no increase with normal serum; with absorbed serum the increase is slight and it can be correlated with the presence of unabsorbed antibody. The effect is enduring as shown by volumetric determinations upon repeatedly washed, agglutinated bacteria. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6337 | Amino acid residues critical for endoplasmic reticulum export and trafficking of platelet-activating factor receptor.
Several residues are conserved in the transmembrane domains (TMs) of G-protein coupled receptors. Here we demonstrate that a conserved proline, Pro(247), in TM6 of platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR) is required for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) export and trafficking after agonist-induced internalization. Alanine-substituted mutants of the conserved residues of PAFRs, including P247A, were retained in the ER. Because a PAFR antagonist, Y-24180, acted as a pharmacological chaperone to rescue ER retention, this retention is due to misfolding of PAFR. Methylcarbamyl (mc)-PAF, a PAFR agonist, did not increase the cell surface expression of P247A, even though another ER-retained mutant, D63A, was effectively trafficked. Signaling and accumulation of the receptors in the early endosomes were observed in the mc-PAF-treated P247A-expressing cells, suggesting that P247A was trafficked to the cell surface by mc-PAF, and thereafter disappeared from the surface due to aberrant trafficking, e.g. enhanced internalization, deficiency in recycling, and/or accelerated degradation. The aberrant trafficking was confirmed with a sortase-A-mediated method for labeling cell surface proteins. These results demonstrate that the conserved proline in TM6 is crucial for intracellular trafficking of PAFR. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6338 | A randomized comparative study of purified follicle stimulating hormone and human menopausal gonadotropin after pituitary desensitization with Buserelin for superovulation and in vitro fertilization.
Twenty patients entered a randomized, crossover study of purified follicle-stimulating hormone (pure-FSH) or human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) superovulation, 2 ampules per day after pituitary desensitization with the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) analogue Buserelin (D-Ser tBu6 LH-RH 1-9 ethylamide) nasal spray. There were no cycles cancelled. Six patients conceived (five on pure-FSH, one on hMG). There were 24.2 +/- 2.5 (mean +/- standard error of the mean [SEM]) ampules of pure-FSH and 24.3 +/- 3.6 ampules of hMG stimulation required. There were similar numbers of preoperation follicles: 6.9 +/- 1.0 on hMG and 6.6 +/- 1.1 on pure-FSH, of oocytes collected; 8.5 +/- 1.4 on hMG and 5.8 +/- 1.4 on pure-FSH, and of pre-embryos achieved; 5.1 +/- 0.9 on hMG and 3.4 +/- 1.0 on pure-FSH; on either treatment. The fertilization rate on hMG was 60% and on pure-FSH was 55%. Pre-embryo transfer rates were 3.2 +/- 0.3 in the hMG group and 2.7 +/- 0.4 in the pure-FSH group. There were no differences in serum FSH, LH, estradiol, or progesterone levels between the hMG and pure-FSH groups. Mean +/- SEM luteal phase length was 10.6 +/- 0.4 days in the nonpregnant cycles. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6339 | Comparing the face inversion effect in crows and humans.
Humans show impaired recognition of faces that are presented upside down, a phenomenon termed face inversion effect, which is thought to reflect the special relevance of faces for humans. Here, we investigated whether a phylogenetically distantly related avian species, the carrion crow, with similar socio-cognitive abilities to human and non-human primates, exhibits a face inversion effect. In a delayed matching-to-sample task, two crows had to differentiate profiles of crow faces as well as matched controls, presented both upright and inverted. Because crows can discriminate humans based on their faces, we also assessed the face inversion effect using human faces. Both crows performed better with crow faces than with human faces and performed worse when responding to inverted pictures in general compared to upright pictures. However, neither of the crows showed a face inversion effect. For comparative reasons, the tests were repeated with human subjects. As expected, humans showed a face-specific inversion effect. Therefore, we did not find any evidence that crows-like humans-process faces as a special visual stimulus. Instead, individual recognition in crows may be based on cues other than a conspecific's facial profile, such as their body, or on processing of local features rather than holistic processing. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6340 | Natural history of exercise function in patients with Ebstein anomaly: A serial study.
BACKGROUND
The clinical manifestations of Ebstein anomaly (EA) vary greatly; criteria for surgical intervention remain undefined. Decisions regarding surgical intervention in asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic patients would be helpfully informed by a detailed, quantitative understanding of the natural history of exercise intolerance in these patients. However, past studies of exercise function in EA have been of a cross-sectional, rather than a serial, nature. We, therefore, analyzed serial cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) tests from patients with unrepaired EA to better appreciate the natural history of their exercise function.
METHODS
All patients with EA who had had at least 2 CPX tests, separated by at least 6 months, between November 2002 and October 2010 were identified. Patients with prior tricuspid valve surgery were excluded from the study.
RESULTS
Cardiopulmonary exercise data from 23 patients (64 CPX tests; 2.8 ± 1.0 tests/patient) were analyzed. The median time interval between the first and last CPX tests was 3.3 (range, 0.6-7.3) years. The percentage of predicted peak oxygen consumption declined slowly (1.87 ± 8.04 percentage points/y) during the follow-up period. The decline was more pronounced (3.04 ± 6.78 percentage points/y) in patients <18 years old. On multivariate modeling, only the change in oxygen pulse at peak exercise (a surrogate for forward stroke volume) and the change in peak heart rate over time emerged as statistically significant correlates of the change in percentage of predicted peak oxygen consumption.
CONCLUSION
The exercise function of patients with EA tends to deteriorate over time. This deterioration appears to be related to a progressive decline in their ability to augment their forward stroke volume and heart rate during exercise. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6341 | St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.): a review of its chemistry, pharmacology and clinical properties.
The chemical composition of St. John's wort has been well-studied. Documented pharmacological activities, including antidepressant, antiviral, and antibacterial effects, provide supporting evidence for several of the traditional uses stated for St John's wort. Many pharmacological activities appear to be attributable to hypericin and to the flavonoid constituents; hypericin is also reported to be responsible for the photosensitive reactions that have been documented for St. John's wort. With regard to the antidepressant effects of St John's wort, hyperforin, rather than hypericin as originally thought, has emerged as one of the major constituents responsible for antidepressant activity. Further research is required to determine which other constituents contribute to the antidepressant effect. Evidence from randomised controlled trials has confirmed the efficacy of St John's wort extracts over placebo in the treatment of mild-to-moderately severe depression. Other randomised controlled studies have provided some evidence that St John's wort extracts are as effective as some standard antidepressants in mild-to-moderate depression. There is still a need for further trials to assess the efficacy of St John's wort extracts, compared with that of standard antidepressants, particularly newer antidepressant agents, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (recent comparative studies with fluoxetine and sertraline have been conducted). Also, there is a need for further studies in well-defined groups of patients, in different types of depression, and conducted over longer periods in order to determine long-term safety. St John's wort does appear to have a more favourable short-term safety profile than do standard antidepressants, a factor that is likely to be important in patients continuing to take medication. Concerns have been raised over interactions between St John's wort and certain prescribed medicines (including warfarin, ciclosporin, theophylline, digoxin, HIV protease inhibitors, anticonvulsants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, triptans, oral contraceptives); advice is that patients taking these medicines should stop taking St John's wort, generally after seeking professional advice as dose adjustment of conventional treatment may be necessary. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6342 | Effects of different lipid contents on growth of earthworms and the products during vermicomposting.
In China, the production of kitchen waste was more than 97 million tons per year in 2016. The high lipid content of kitchen waste makes it hard to degrade. Vermicomposting is a kind of low-cost biotechnology through the combination of earthworms and microbes, which could be considered in converting kitchen waste to valuable products. However, the effect of the lipid in kitchen waste on earthworms and composting is not known yet. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of lipid on vermicomposting and to derive the most suitable lipid content in vermicomposting. In our study, kitchen waste with four different lipid contents was prepared: 0% (A), 5% (B), 10% (C) and 15% (D). The earthworm growth and chemical characters of substrates were measured at the interim (14 days) and the end (28 days) of vermicomposting. Our results showed that the high content of lipid had negative effects on growth of earthworms and products in vermicomposting. The kitchen waste with lower lipid content could be better composted by earthworms. The average body weight of the earthworm increased by 9% in treatment A. Total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium and nitrate nitrogen of treatment A with 0% (measured value: 5%) lipid content were significantly higher than those in other treatments. Meanwhile, treatment A had the lowest carbon/nitrogen ratio which might be due to hindrances in the breathing and activities of earthworms. The high content of lipid makes growth of aerobic bacteria such as nitrifying bacteria difficult. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6343 | Increased muscle pain sensitivity in patients with tension-type headache.
Nociceptive mechanisms in tension-type headache are poorly understood. The aim was to investigate the pain sensitivity of pericranial muscles and a limb muscle in patients with tension-type headache. Experimental muscle pain was induced by standardized infusions of 0.5 ml of 1 M hypertonic saline into two craniofacial muscles (anterior temporalis (TPA) and masseter (MAS)) and a limb muscle (anterior tibial (TA)) in 24 frequent episodic tension-type headache patients (FETTH), 22 chronic tension-type headache patients (CTTH) and 26 age and gender matched healthy subjects. Headache patients were examined twice, both on days with and on days without headache. The pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were determined before and after infusions. The subjects continuously reported intensity of saline-induced pain on an electronic visual analogue scale (VAS) and the perceived area of pain was drawn on anatomical maps. Headache patients demonstrated significantly lower PPTs, higher saline-evoked VAS pain scores and greater pain areas than healthy subjects at all the tested muscle sites (P<0.05). There was a significant gender difference for the PPTs in all three groups of participants (P<0.05) and for VAS pain scores in the CTTH patients (P<0.05). There was no difference in pain sensitivity between FETTH and CTTH or between patients with or without headache. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the presence of generalized pain hypersensitivity both in FETTH and CTTH compared to controls which is unrelated to actual headache status and extends to include responses to longer-lasting stimuli which are clinically highly relevant. Gender differences in deep pain sensitivity seem to be a consistent finding both in healthy controls and patients with tension-type headache. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6344 | Cervical cancer screening behavior and associated factors among women of Ugrachandi Nala, Kavre, Nepal.
BACKGROUND
Cervical cancer in Nepal ranks as the first most frequent cancer among women. Primary prevention measures, such as prophylactic vaccines against high risk HPV, are now available. Over time, vaccination will decrease the prevalence of the disease among younger women; however, screening will still be needed. The objective of the study was to assess the cervical cancer screening behavior and its associated factors among women of Nala Village Development Committee (VDC), Kavre.
METHODS
A descriptive cross-sectional study was done to assess the cervical cancer screening behavior among women in 2014. Systematic Random sampling was used to collect the data from a sample of 180 women residing in Nala VDC. A structured interview questionnaire and health belief model scale was used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square test) was used for data analysis using SPSS version 16 program.
RESULTS
Minority (18.3%) of the respondents had cervical cancer screening behavior. Education level of the respondents was significantly associated with cervical cancer screening behavior (p < 0.05). Age, parity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers had no significant association with cervical cancer screening behavior.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that cervical cancer screening behavior was satisfactory. The findings of the study indicate a significant association between cervical cancer screening behavior and education level of the participants. Awareness campaigns targeting illiterate groups can be conducted in community so that they become motivated towards cervical cancer screening. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6345 | Head-to-tail polymerization of microtubules in vitro. Electron microscope analysis of seeded assembly.
Microtubules are polar structures, and this polarity is reflected in their biased directional growth. Following a convention established previously (G. G. Borisy, 1978, J. Mol. Biol. 124:565--570), we define the plus (+) and minus (-) ends of a microtubule as those equivalent in structural orientation to the distal and proximal ends, respectively, of the A subfiber of flagellar outer doublets. Rates of elongation were obtained for both ends using flagellar axonemes as seeds and porcine brain microtubule protein as subunits. Since the two ends of a flagellar seed are distinguishable morphologically, elongation of each end may be analyzed separately. By plotting rates of elongation at various concentrations of subunit protein, we have determined the association and dissociation rate constants for the plus and minus ends. Under our conditions at 30 degrees C, the association constants were 7.2 X 10(6) M-1 s-1 and 2.25 X 10(6) M-1 s-1 for the plus and minus ends, respectively, and the dissociation constants were 17 s-1 and 7 s-1. From these values and Wegner's equations (1976, J. Mol. Biol. 108:139--150), we identified the plus end of the microtubule as its head and calculated "s," the head-to-tail polymerization parameter. Surprisingly small values (s = 0.07 +/- 0.02) were found. The validity of models of mitosis based upon head-to-tail polymerization (Margolis et al., 1978, Nature (Lond.) 272:450--452) are discussed in light of a small value for s. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6346 | Spatial tuning of tactile attention modulates visual processing within hemifields: an ERP investigation of crossmodal attention.
Recent event-related brain potential (ERP) studies have revealed crossmodal links in spatial attention, but have not yet investigated differences in the spatial tuning of attention between task-relevant and irrelevant modalities. We studied the spatial distribution of attention in vision under conditions where participants were instructed to attend to the left or right-hand in order to detect infrequent targets, and to entirely ignore visual stimuli presented via LEDs at two eccentricities in the left or right hemifield. Hands were located close to two of these four LEDs in different blocks. Visual N1 amplitudes were enhanced when visual stimuli in the cued hemifield were close to the attended hand, relative to visual stimuli presented at the other location on the same side. These within-hemifield attentional modulations of visual processing demonstrate that crossmodal attention is not distributed diffusely across an entire hemifield. The spatial tuning of tactile attention transfers crossmodally to affect vision, consistent with spatial selection at a multimodal level of representation. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6347 | Small molecules with big roles in microRNA chemical biology and microRNA-targeted therapeutics.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Aberrant miRNA expression or function have close links with various human diseases. Therefore, therapeutic treatments with disease-associated miRNAs as targets are emerging. However, the intracellular miRNA networks are extremely complicated and poorly understood, which thus hinder the development of miRNA-targeted therapeutics. Small molecules that are able to regulate endogenous miRNAs hold great potential in both elucidation of miRNA networks and treatment of miRNA-related diseases. Herein, we summarize current strategies for discovery of small molecule modifiers of miRNAs, and we highlight aspects of miRNA cellular biology elucidated by using these small molecules and miRNA-targeted therapeutics realized by these small molecules. We envision that this area will expand dramatically in the near future and will ultimately contribute to a better understanding of miRNA-involved cellular processes and development of therapeutic agents for miRNA-associated diseases. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6348 | [Carcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction following variceal sclerosis: more than a coincidence?].
In the last decade, several cases of patients with esophageal varices treated with endoscopic sclerotherapy who posteriorly developed carcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction have been reported in the literature. This may only be a coincidence, although the existence of an undemonstrated relationship direct cannot be discarded. The case of a patient diagnosed with alcoholic liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension and esophageal varices who underwent several sessions of endoscopic sclerotherapy with ethanolamine oleate is presented. During follow-up dysphagia was observed due to adenocarcinoma of the lower third of the esophagus. Carcinoma of the esophagus should be taken into account as a rare diagnostic possibility in a patient with dysphagia of recent appearance with a history of esophageal varix sclerotherapy. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6349 | Transmission potential and design of adequate control measures for Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
Marburg hemorrhagic fever is rare yet among the most severe diseases affecting humans, with case fatality ratio even higher than 80%. By analyzing the largest documented Marburg hemorrhagic fever epidemic, which occurred in Angola in 2005 and caused 329 deaths, and data on viral load over time in non-human primates, we make an assessment of transmissibility and severity of the disease. We also give insight into the control of new Marburg hemorrhagic fever epidemics to inform appropriate health responses. We estimated the distribution of the generation time to have mean 9 days (95%CI: 8.2-10 days) and standard deviation 5.4 days (95%CI: 3.9-8.6 days), and the basic reproduction number to be R(0) = 1.59 (95%CI: 1.53-1.66). Model simulations suggest that a timely isolation of cases, starting no later than 2-3 days after symptoms onset, is sufficient to contain an outbreak. Our analysis reveals that Marburg hemorrhagic fever is characterized by a relatively small reproduction number and by a relatively long generation time. Such factors, along with the extremely high severity and fatality, support the rare occurrence of large epidemics in human populations. Our results also support the effectiveness of social distancing measures--case isolation in particular--to contain or at least to mitigate an emerging outbreak. This work represents an advance in the knowledge required to manage a potential Marburg hemorrhagic fever epidemic. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6350 | Nilotinib (formerly AMN107), a highly selective BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is active in patients with imatinib-resistant or -intolerant accelerated-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Patients with imatinib-resistant or -intolerant accelerated-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML-AP) have very limited therapeutic options. Nilotinib is a highly selective BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor. This phase 2 trial was designed to characterize the efficacy and safety of nilotinib (400 mg twice daily) in this patient population with hematologic response (HR) as primary efficacy endpoint. A total of 119 patients were enrolled and had a median duration of treatment of 202 days (range, 2-611 days). An HR was observed in 56 patients (47%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 38%-56%). Major cytogenetic response (MCyR) was observed in 35 patients (29%; 95% CI, 21%-39%). The median duration of HR has not been reached. Overall survival rate among the 119 patients after 12 months of follow-up was 79% (95% CI, 70%-87%). Nonhematologic adverse events were mostly mild to moderate. Severe peripheral edema and pleural effusions were not observed. The most common grade 3 or higher hematologic adverse events were thrombocytopenia (35%) and neutropenia (21%). Grade 3 or higher bilirubin and lipase elevations occurred in 9% and 18% of patients, respectively, resulting in treatment discontinuation in one patient. In conclusion, nilotinib is an effective and well-tolerated treatment in imatinib-resistant and -intolerant CML-AP. This trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00384228. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6351 | Metagenomics and Culture-Based Diversity Analysis of the Bacterial Community in the Zharkent Geothermal Spring in Kazakhstan.
Diversity of the microbial community in the Zharkent geothermal hot spring, located in the southeastern region of Kazakhstan, was assessed using both culture-dependent and -independent approaches. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing of DNA extracted from the spring water yielded 11,061,725 high-quality sequence reads, totaling >1,67 Gb of nucleotide sequences. Furthermore, water samples were enriched in nutrient broth at varying high temperatures, and colonies isolated by being streaked onto nutrient agar. Finally, DNA extraction and amplification, as well as sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, were conducted. Bacteria constituted more than 99.97% of the total prokaryotic abundance, with Archaea contributing only an extremely small component; Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria dominated the community. At genus level, Firmicutes reads affiliated with Desmospora, Parageobacillus, Paenibacillus, and Brevibacillus, accounting for more than 60% of total prokaryotic abundance. Eight morphologically distinct, aerobic, endospore-forming thermophilic bacteria were recovered; isolates differed significantly in substrate utilization patterns, as well as their production of thermophilic, extracellular, hydrolytic enzymes for degradation of starch, lipids, cellulose, and protein. Five strains could degrade all four macromolecular types at temperatures ranging from 55 to 75 °C. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences placed all isolates into the genus Geobacillus with some of them possibly representing novel species. The results indicate that this hot spring represents a rich source of novel thermophilic bacteria and potentially useful thermostable enzymes. | No pos | No neg |
Retriever6352 | Metachronous cancer: prognostic factors including prior irradiation.
In this article we evaluate two factors that may be responsible for the reported increased mortality rate in metachronous cancers: prior radiation therapy and stage at presentation. A select group of 358 patients was split into three groups: no prior cancer (group 1), prior cancer treated with radiation therapy (group 2), and prior cancer treated with surgery alone (group 3). We compared survival among the three groups according to stage (T1 or T2 vs. T3 or T4) using the Lifetest procedure. Survival in patients with advanced (T3 or T4) cancers was uniformly poor, and survival in patients with low-staged (T1 or T2) cancers was disproportionately poor only for patients in group 2. Metachronous cancers are not necessarily more lethal, except when the cancer arises within prior irradiated tissue. Initial treatment decisions for patients with primary cancers must always provide for the contingency of a metachronous cancer, and the judicious use of radiation therapy is essential. | No pos | No neg |
Subsets and Splits